The Wolf and the Angels
by Pheo the Flame
Summary: What if you lived your whole life with a cruel uncle who experiments on both children and animals alike? What if he promises to keep you safe as long as you help him catch subjects for experiments? And what if one day he decides to turn you into a wolf?
1. Chapter 1

**The Wolf and the Angels**

Summary: What if you had lived your whole life with an abusive uncle, one who experiments on children and animals alike, promising to spare you if you help him capture them? What if, one day, he breaks his promise and you wake up as a wolf, at the same time as two boys are being dragged in from the woods? And what if he gives one of those boys' wings? Welcome to Rue's life.

Disclaimer: Don't own DN Angel. I do, however, own… a brass coated penny! (Science experiment, don't ask.)

…

I woke up after a terrible night, filled with dreams of being burned alive, (not very uncommon nowadays…) and the first thing I realized was the heavy metal clamp around my waist, and my nose twitching at some delicious scent I'd never smelled before, something… earthy and… rich. But wait, why was my nose suddenly black and wet? And since when did I have a _muzzle_? I tried to scream but no human voice escaped my throat. What did? A long, frantic howl. I tried struggling, but the metal clamp around my waist hurt so badly…

My uncle walked in, and I managed a snarl before he shoved a needle into my before I blacked out, I saw two boys being dragged in by one of the servants. One of them short, icy blue hair and pale skin, and the other with long blonde hair who could maybe have been a guardian of some sort, or maybe an older brother, though I doubted it. Then the deep blackness of unconsciousness enveloped me, and I slipped away.

…

I woke up to screams. Male screams. I ignored them. Those two boys that my uncle had dragged in were more than likely to be dead by evening, and I'd stopped even trying to form attachments to anything. I was no longer chained down to a table, which gave me a chance to look at my new form. I screamed.

I was a wolf. But my voice was human. Just to be sure, I tried speaking. "I am a wolf," I said. My voice was a bit harsher than it used to be, and my jaw clicked with each syllable, but it was better than growling and howling. _That must have been what that shot was for, to let me keep my human voice._ But I was a wolf! My body was black, with the exception of a gray sock all the way up my right front leg. I felt something wrapped around my neck, and tried to reach up and rip it off, but that was no longer possible with my form. Gone was my beautiful red hair, which I had loved so dearly, and to replace it, four legs with rough pads on the bottoms. Oh, the joy.

"Rue!" My uncle's harsh voice reached my ears. "Come here and look at my newest creation!" I didn't want to, but I knew that if I didn't, I would be punished for it later. Carefully, giving myself time to adjust to my new form, I padded over to where my uncle's voice was coming from. I walked past cats, rats, and an assortment of birds; all of which had some sort of genetic mutations that I won't describe, until I reached my uncle. "Sit at my feet," he commanded. "You will do this whenever you approach me."

"Yes uncle," I whispered, doing as he asked. Then I glanced up. The blue haired boy was unconscious, chained by his wrists to the wall, his breathing harsh and shallow. Wrapped around his bare chest were wings, wings that seemed to glisten and change into multiple colors in the light, casting rainbows onto the walls. Wings that seemed to be made of glass, but how could they be? "Uncle," I said, "What did-?" I caught myself, knowing full well that I would be punished for questioning him, which was why I hadn't asked about my new form. "They're beautiful… but where is the blonde?" I gave my voice a carefully applied coat of coldness, the same way some girls might apply lip gloss.

"He was uncooperative," my uncle replied. "He should be dead or willing to succumb by tomorrow." The blue haired boy moaned as he heard this, and I almost threw up. Last time he had tried that… I'd accidently come across the corpse. A girl about my age, stung to death by a batch of mutant bees, or maybe wasps. I'd buried her late at night, under a full moon.

"What did you do to him?" I asked, trying to sound curious.

"Ah, Rue…" my uncle seemed disappointed in me. "I believe we agreed that we would not form attachments to my experiments." I snarled.

"Uncle, I never said that I was attached to h- it." I barely caught myself, trying to stay unconcerned. He ruffled my head fondly, and I flinched away from his touch. His mad brown eyes glanced down at me.

"I suppose you're wondering why I did this to you," he said quietly. "Come with me, dear, and I'll show you." He walked away from me, and I knew better than to hesitate. Whenever my uncle called me 'dear', I knew I'd be in serious trouble for disobeying him. With one last look at the boy, I followed him outside. He led me to the large fence that surrounded our land, and pointed out small holes near the fence posts.

"What are they uncle?" I asked before I could stop myself, trying out my new sense of smell. I caught that rich earth scent again, and something else, something that made saliva rush to my mouth. Some sort of animal.

"Holes," he replied curtly. "I believe that those Outcasts are trying to get their _precious _woodland creatures to dig for them. I caught the two I have right now trying it last night. Your new duties are to guard this fence, and tell me if that wretched boy will give in. If anyone comes near who even looks as though they might try to get in here uninvited… well, you have those teeth for a reason." I could've retched, but there was nothing in my stomach to be gotten rid of.

"Yes uncle," I replied faintly, twitching my ears.

"No more of this 'uncle' nonsense," he snapped at me, "From now on you will call me Kei-sama, like any of my other servants."

"Yes un- Kei-sama." So that was it. I was a servant now. I was no longer his niece, but another of his experiments.

"Yes what?" He asked, tapping his foot.

"I will do as you wish, as you wish it, Kei-sama." I lowered my head and raised my eyes, trying my best to appease him. Apparently it was what he wanted, because he left. I guess you're probably wondering why I would grovel in front of him. After all, I was a wolf now, so why didn't I just rip his throat out? Free his experiments and let myself out into the world…? I don't know. I guess it was family loyalty, even when the only family I had treated me like garbage.

I decided that the best way to carry out my duties would be from the top of a small brick shed that my uncle- hem, _Kei-sama _had glanced at several times as he was speaking to me. I took it as a signal that the other boy was held there, and wanted to get to know him for a reason I wasn't sure of. It wasn't that I liked him, exactly, but something about him was… terrifying, and I wanted to know why he had been unable to keep the younger boy safe. I took a running leap and scrabbled to the roof of the shack, where there was a small skylight. I thought that maybe I could break it and try to talk to the blonde. But I would have to create the impression that I was still watching outside of the fence, and that could be a problem. I stepped hard onto the glass, and it gave slightly, and then broke. Now sunlight actually streamed through the small hole I'd made, and I could make out the blonde figure looking up at me. He looked thinner than I remembered, and his face was gaunt.

"Hello," I said, glancing off towards the left, "My name is Rue. Don't ask my last name, I don't have one."

"I'm Krad," the boy replied, "Have you seen Satoshi?" I didn't know if he was looking at me, but I rather hoped he was.

"The boy with the blue hair? Yes…" I didn't want to say more. I glanced to the right, stood, and paced a circle around the skylight.

Krad glanced down. "If he's dead, jump down here and rip my throat out. I've no reason to live anymore anyway."

What was I supposed to say to that? "He's alive but… my uncle… he… he gave him wings." Krad's head flew up at me, and for the first time I saw his eyes. They were a beautiful amber color, deep and full of emotion. I instantly fell in love with those eyes; I never wanted them to look away. But of course, I had to look up to keep my charade of guarding the fence.

"He did what?" He yelled. I leapt back, a snarl instinctively spreading across my face. My right hind foot slipped, and I barely caught myself.

"Wings," I said again once I had calmed down. "He has wings." Krad sighed and stood up.

"I can't believe it," he said, "If I get out of here alive, Lyra's going to kill me… but it's not like I've got a choice."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who's Lyra?"

"Come back at midnight," Krad said, sitting down again. "I'll explain then."

"I'll try and bring you some food," I replied, and then jumped off of the roof. I should probably do a quick patrol around the grounds… maybe I could catch something to eat. I was suddenly very hungry.

…

AN: Okay, so what do ya think? Is this worth continuing? Or should I scrap it? Hopefully my other chapters will be a bit longer. And if you do want to see this continued, please go to my profile and vote for it in my poll! Reviews are welcome… flames are not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Disclaimer: What the heck? Who is this Yukiru Sugisaki person? I thought I owned DN Angel!

Daisuke: No, sorry Pheo, but you don't.

Satoshi: Yeah, if you did, you'd probably make it totally unrecognizable.

Pheo: Oh yeah right! Although I would have made you and Krad separate entities, and made Krad nicer… and a lot of other things, like not **EVER **making Risa fall in love with Satoshi… Satoshi, you're way too good for her!

Me: Uh, Pheo, you were just saying a disclaimer, correct? Let's not start ranting about Risa… again…

Pheo: How'd you –What are you doing here?

Me: Just decided to check in on my 'other self', that's all. Maybe you should start Rue's story back up? This is getting close to a hundred and forty words…

Pheo: Fine. I don't own any of the characters but Rue. So far.

…

I managed to catch a mouse. That was it. I was so hungry by midnight you wouldn't believe it, and I didn't have anything for Krad. I felt terrible, but there was nothing here unless you wanted mutant cat for dinner. Personally, it wasn't to my taste. So I padded around, hoping to get lucky and spot something good. Anything. But the only thing living aside from the grass was me.

_Snap. _I flinched, unused to such a loud sound. _Snap, snap, snap. _I glanced over my shoulder, wondering exactly what that sound was, but I didn't see anything. It worried me. I began walking back the way I'd come, and the sound faded. I padded quietly over to the door to my uncle's –my master's laboratory stood. I have not described it to you yet, so I might as well do so now.

It was a one story building, and long. It was mainly cement and mortar, gray, with a steel enforced roof. The roof was flat, with a glass greenhouse on top. But that was more for Kei-sama's vegetation experiments than for plants… you would _not_ want to go in there. I pawed at the door, and when no one answered, I just stood on my hind legs and turned the doorknob with my mouth. It tasted terrible, sour, like metal sometimes did. I did my best to ignore the taste, but I gagged as soon as the door swung open and I could let it go. I had to get something to eat; anything. I slunk in and very carefully nudged the door closed with my nose. There was the tiniest 'click' as the metal door shut, but nothing loud enough to wake someone.

I padded down the halls, knowing uncle –Kei-sama was around somewhere. I poked my muzzle through the door to his main laboratory, but I couldn't smell him. I wondered if I would recognize what was edible now and what wasn't. _Well, the ham sandwich smells okay… but that's three days old… _I didn't care. I walked over and wolfed it down. (No pun intended.) I felt a little better, and now I pricked my ears up. I could hear harsh, labored breathing, and rustling. That had to be Satoshi. I followed the sound, tense and ready to spring. But no one was near him. He was still chained, though he wasn't hanging from the wall any longer. He was sitting on the floor, his wings wrapped around his chest, asleep.

"Hello?" I rasped. I couldn't speak very well yet, I could tell I'd need some practice, but Satoshi woke with a start.

"Who are- what are you?" He asked. I walked over to him, and poked one of his wings with my nose.

"My name-" my voice stuck for a second, "Is Rue." Satoshi scratched my head, behind my ears, and I pulled my lips into as good a grin as I could manage. "Krad sent for me… I thought you might like to come too."

"I'm Satoshi," Satoshi said, "And I'd love to be out of here, but you don't have a key…" I pulled my head away from him, walked over to the ring of keys that had conveniently been left in reach on Kei-sama's desk, and walked back.

"Will these do?" I asked. He smiled and took them from me. "Work fast." Satoshi nodded and tried several keys before he found the correct one, then unlocked the shackles that bound him to the wall.

"Thank you," he said, "Where is my brother?" I turned and walked off, trusting that he would follow me. He did, and when I glanced back, he had folded his wings at his back, exposing his bare chest. If I hadn't had fur, I probably would have blushed.

"He's this way," I said, "Just keep walking. Can you fly? Have you tried?"

"Not yet," Satoshi replied, "But I feel like I could." I nodded.

"Then be ready," I warned as we reached the door. There were no clouds tonight, so there would be no cloak of darkness to conceal us. "Just in case." I shoved the door open, and padded outside. I loved the feeling of crouching close to the grass, stalking towards the warehouse. I felt… _alive, _I suppose, for the first time in my life.

_Snap. _I jumped. _Snap, snap, snap. Snap, snap… _There was a long silence. I relaxed; continued forward. It had been nothing. Maybe the building settling, or the fence. Nothing to –

_Crash. _I howled and lunged forward. That sound had come from Kei-sama's house. I knew, in my heart of hearts, there was nothing I could do, but when I arrived at the small cottage, I hadn't even come close to preparing myself for what I saw. One wall was completely gone, another caving in. The wood had split. That's what had been making the snapping sound. Glass glistened in the grass, and I could hear whimpering.

"Rue," Satoshi said, coming behind me, "What's going on?" I shivered, scared out of my wits.

"I –I don't know," I whispered, "I don't know."

"This almost looks like… like…" Satoshi trailed off. I bent my head to the ground and sniffed, and sure enough, I could smell that same rich, earthy scent that radiated from Satoshi and Krad. I followed the scent, almost afraid of what I would find.

A girl with dirty blonde hair and tanned skin stood over my uncle, a long knife in her hand. I felt fury coursing through my veins, and snarled low from the back of my throat. The girl turned. She had startlingly blue eyes, heavily outlined in what looked like kohl. Murderous rage glowed within the blue, and I snarled again, the fur on the back of my neck bristling.

"So," the girl said, "What are you?" I snarled again. I didn't want to talk in front of this girl. Some part of me was saying that it would be a mistake. I hated my uncle, but the way I felt toward this girl was… completely indescribable. I wanted to nip her throat out, piece by tiny piece.

"It can't talk Lyra," Satoshi's voice rang through the night, mellow and bored. "None of his experiments can. This is his security." So this girl was Lyra. I had thought that she was Krad's mom, not… not… this.

"Oh, can't talk, can it," Lyra said sarcastically, "Poor puppy dog… I've fought children fiercer than you, you sweet little doggy." I started to see red. Did this girl _want _to be killed? I snarled, crouching low to the ground. I had never fought before in my life, but Kei-sama must have given me the instincts of a wolf as well as its body.

Then I spoke, my voice a low, quiet growl. "Step away from my uncle," I whispered, my lips parting from my teeth. I became strangely aware of a prickling up and down my back, but chose to ignore it.

Lyra twirled her knife between her fingers, puzzled. "Why would I do that? After all, it was this man who took the prince and his brother away from their kingdom… who took from me my fiancée. Why should I let him go? Give me one reason, _dog._"

I thought about it. One minute passed, then two. An owl hooted. I could not think of a single thing that might save my uncle. I went back through all of my life, though most of my memories were fuzzy. I was shaking with pain and fear, and then it came to me. The day that I had come here, when I was five. I didn't remember what I had been wearing, but I had come a week after my parents had died. My uncle hadn't been such a cruel man then. In fact, we used to catch butterflies and laugh together. I told all of this to Lyra, and how he used to read to me, and comfort me, and always come and tuck me in before bed. I told her all that and more.

"Please Lyra," I whimpered, "You cannot kill him." Lyra looked at me for a long moment. Her blue eyes, ringed with such dark black, her flyaway hair… she seemed almost to take comfort in what I had told her. Her eyes were sympathetic as she ran my uncle through with her long knife.

"Oops," she said, "My hand must have slipped." She twisted the knife cruelly as she drew it from my uncle's chest. I stopped seeing. My vision flooded with red, the red that was spilling from Kei-sama's chest, the red that would soon stain Lyra's skin…

I do not remember what I did, only that I lunged. I remember the taste of flesh and blood, blood and flesh. And I remember Satoshi's and Lyra's screams, and then there was nothing.

…

AN: Okay! Chapter two up, because my poll is tied… if you like this, please vote! Thanks, and reviews are always welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Disclaimer: Don't own DN Angel. I don't own DN Angel. I, Pheo, do not own the anime or manga DN Angel. They both belong to Sugisaki Yukiru-sama, and the producers of the show.

…

When I awoke, the first thing I was aware of was the pressure around my neck, still there. I tried to sit up, see where I was, but I could not. I sniffed the air around me, wondering what bound me, but just then, I heard footsteps. Two sets of them; one light and steady, the other heavy and limping, almost grudgingly moving forward. I figured it was Krad and Lyra, and I wondered what I'd done to the girl.

_Oh. Uncle… _The events of what had occurred before I'd passed out came rushing back to me, and I whimpered with pain and shock. My back felt better now, but the wounds that I now held in my heart were greater than anything of such minority.

Lyra strode in, tall, fearless, almost floating off the ground. She was beautiful; even I had to admit to that fact, but I still hated her. She walked over to me and stroked my head, completely unharmed. I snarled at her, and she drew her hand away. Krad walked in a moment later, limping and leaning against the wall for support. He had a cloth wrapped around his eyes, and his hair was hanging around his face.

"Lyra," he snapped, "Where are we?" I detected impatience in his voice, annoyance even. It seemed like an odd way for one to talk to a future wife.

"I took us to the lab," Lyra replied calmly. She seemed used to Krad's moodiness. "I want to see if I can do anything to fix your eyes." I continued to struggle against my bonds until Lyra ran a hand across my front paws and I was able to sit up.

"And what of my brother?" Krad asked. I noticed he was favoring his right foot, and I wanted to tear Lyra's throat out. Was she really so stuck up that she wouldn't even help him? "What of Satoshi?"

"I sent him to find Daisuke," she said, "I want his advice on what we should with the beast." She gestured towards me, and somehow Krad interpreted her words.

"Her name is Rue," he said, "She was offering to help me. She could have gotten us both out of here without any bloodshed if you hadn't interfered." His voice was bitter as he sank down to the floor, keeping his back to the wall the whole time. "You didn't need to kill that man. He might have been persuaded to help us."

"Krad," I began, but Lyra gave me a sharp tap on my muzzle and I shut up. I tried to paw at whatever was around my neck (I assumed it to be a collar of some sort) but again Lyra hit me. This time, I struck back. I snapped my jaws less than an inch away from her face, and she grabbed my collar and choked me. I fell back, gasping.

"Lyra," Krad said, "Please, just let her be." I heard a snap of wings outside, and a pair of footsteps as well. A few moments later, Satoshi and a boy about his age with spiky red hair and ruby eyes came in. He bowed awkwardly to Lyra and Krad, first him, then her, and then turned to me.

"So, is this what you were talking about?" He asked Satoshi, looking at me. Satoshi nodded.

"Yes. Apparently our future queen cannot decide how to deal with an outside threat…" he trailed off, looking mildly disturbed. "I mean, our two future rulers cannot agree on how to deal with a creature that is only half human…" he shook his head, and then introduced us. "Daisuke, the wolf here is Rue. Rue, this is Daisuke, the son of the present king's advisor and brother to our chief guard, Dark." I bowed my head to the young redhead, who smiled politely at me. I liked Daisuke at once.

"Well," he said, "She seems like she's civil enough…"

"She tried to kill me not half an hour ago!" Lyra cried. Daisuke blinked, processing this information.

"And Krad?" He asked, "What do you think about her?"

"She was ready to help Satoshi and I escape," Krad said without moving. "She came to me and told me she'd help us. She attacked Lyra because she killed Rue's uncle. We need to let her live. She can help us."

"Help you with what?" I asked. Lyra made as if to hit me again, but I snarled at her and snapped my teeth. She pulled her hand back and then looked over at Daisuke as if to prove her point.

"Lyra," Krad said, "Leave her alone! Where is she?" He shook his head and began to unwind the bandage from around his face.

"Leave those on," Lyra snapped. "You look hideous." Krad paid her no heed, and the bandages fell away. He glanced up, and I gasped in shock.

"Your eyes…" I whimpered. "Oh Krad… what did he do to you?" Where Krad's handsome, caring amber eyes had once been now rested a pair of yellow, feline orbs that held little or no emotion whatsoever.

"Don't worry Rue," he said, "I'm still me. He just gave me different eyes. I can see better now anyway." He shrugged and walked over to me, and bent down to scratch my ears. "See Daisuke? She's perfectly friendly when you treat her nice."

"I'm just a bit unsettled," I added, then flinched. "I mean, it's not every day that one wakes as a wolf." Daisuke smiled understandingly.

"I say we let her live," he said quietly, "She seems nice. I like her, and I'm sure she'll get along with everyone else."

"Yes," Krad said, "I believe so. Lyra, do run ahead and tell my parents that we will be coming shortly, and that I'll be bringing a guest who must be treated like royalty herself."

"But-" Lyra protested.

"Go!" Krad snarled, "Now!" Lyra turned and left, and if I wasn't mistaken, she had muttered something that sounded like a spell under her breath. Krad winced.

"What's wrong?" I asked concernedly.

"Nothing," Krad said, "Just a headache. I get them all the time…" he trailed off. "The new eyes aren't helping either."

"It was Lyra," I said, "She said something under her breath when she left." Krad looked at me strangely, and I whimpered and took a step further away from those eyes of his.

"I know Lyra isn't the easiest to get along with," he said, "But I don't believe that she would do something like that." I didn't argue the point, but I was certain that the girl had had something to do with what had happened. "Here." He bent down and slipped the collar off of my neck, and I got my first good look at it. It was black leather, set with a silver name plate.

_Rue, _it read. _All I have left. _I felt tears come to my eyes at the simple line, and then I whimpered. I didn't realize how a wolf cried before, or even that one could, but that's what I was doing. I laid down, put my paws over my muzzle, and cried. I forgot where I was, forgot who I was, momentarily forgot everything but that tiny inscription on my collar.

"Put it back on," I said after a minute. "I'd like to keep it." Krad arched his eyebrows, but did as I asked. I felt the weight of the leather settle around my neck, and then there was a long, slow, drawn out silence.

"So," Satoshi finally said, "What should we do now?" He ruffled his wings awkwardly, and I realized he still didn't have a shirt. He must have been freezing.

"It gets cold out here during the night," I said, "Let's see if I can find you a shirt." He seemed taken aback by suggestion, but then shrugged.

"Is there anything I could actually wear?" He asked. I grinned and barked.

"We can cut some slits in the back," I assured him. "C'mon, let me see if I can find something that you can wear." I stood and choked. There was an agonizing pain in my front paw, and I bent down over it and saw a nasty looking thorn poking from the paw pad. I winced, then nipped at it until it came free. It bled a bit, but I licked at it and the bleeding stopped quickly enough. I limped off and Satoshi followed me. I heard Krad and Daisuke continue to talk behind me, but didn't bother paying attention.

"So where are we going to find a shirt?" Satoshi asked. I pointed my muzzle in the direction of the spot he had been chained, where I had first seen him. "Oh. That makes sense." I nodded and continued forward, sniffing at the air. It smelled clean, with only the faintest traces of The City that lay to the east. My uncle hadn't lived there, or in The Woods. We were never City Dwellers or Outcasts, like Krad and Satoshi were.

"Satoshi," I said, "What is it like out… there?" I heard him sigh behind me, and I swiveled my ears to better catch his words.

"Being an Outcast is… different, I suppose, than this," he said hesitantly, "It is… very…" he sighed in frustration. "It's difficult to describe, and since I am a prince, it becomes even harder to determine what it is like to be a commoner." I nodded, still sniffing towards the faint traces of the smell that I thought smelled like Satoshi did. A few hundred feet more and I found his shirt. I scooped it up in my mouth and trotted back over to him. He took it and smiled gratefully at me. I barked and swished my tail from side to side, happy that I could have been of some sort of assistance.

"Now, I know uncle never kept blades here," I said, feeling a pang of sadness just mentioning him. "He never even kept a scalpel around. Anything sharp was kept over in a separate building." I pointed towards it and started walking.

_Snap. Snap. _I pricked my ears high and listened intensely for several seconds. _Snap. Snap. _

"Satoshi," I whispered, "Do you hear anything?"

"Is there something I should be hearing?" He asked. I sighed and shook my head, then continued onward. It was nearing two or three in the morning, and I felt about ready to drop. The crickets weren't even chirping anymore. There was a gentle breeze blowing through my fur, and I took a moment to let myself savor the feeling that way I savored my first kill (the mouse) this afternoon. Then I continued onward.

"We're almost there," I said, "What's it like to fly?"

"It's amazing," Satoshi said, "Almost too much so to describe. I would thank your uncle if…" he trailed off, and I pinned my ears flat to my head.

"I'll kill her one day," I growled, "Oh, she'll rue the day she messed with me!" _Bad pun Rue… _I scolded myself.

"Be careful," Satoshi warned, "I like her about as much as you do, and don't bother listening to Krad. He can't stand the sight of her. He should have sent me to inform our parents about your coming. His is to be a forced marriage… I feel sorry for him."

"Hey," I replied as I went over to the door of the storage shed, "If I kill her, I can get rid of all of his problems."

"And be exiled," Satoshi said as I tried to figure out how to punch in the six-digit code on the door's lock.

"Ah," I muttered, "Hey, can you give me a hand with this lock? The code's 6-2-8-3-4." Satoshi walked over and punched in the numbers, and the door hissed open.

"Interesting," Satoshi said, "I suppose that's run on hydraulics?" I nodded, stepping into the dark building. I grabbed the lever that controlled the lights in my mouth and pulled down on it. Slowly, the lights flickered on. "Wow. Your uncle sure has a lot of knives."

"Yeah," I replied, "He's got some swords in the back. See anything you like, feel free to take it. In the meantime, I think I'm going to…" I yawned and circled twice before lying down, then I put my head on my paws and promptly passed out.

…

"Erm…" Satoshi woke me only a few minutes later. "Rue, I think I found something you might like to see."

"Huh?" I replied, still have asleep. I had been having the most wonderful dream about food… "Wha' izit 'Toshi…?"

"Rue," Satoshi said, "I think… I think it's you."

…

AN: Tada! And here we have chapter three! It's still not very long, but it's here! What does Satoshi mean? Will Rue kill Lyra for real? Will she ever get something to eat? Stay tuned! Oh, and please review! Reviews keep me motivated! Plus it's fun to see what people think of this!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel, yadda yadda yadda…

AN: I don't really know what did it, but… I really love writing this story. I feel like telling you guys what inspired it, but then I feel like I'm taking away from the actual story and annoying you… maybe I'll put it at the end of the chapter. That way it doesn't interfere with this.

…

I sat up so fast my head spun. Satoshi must have found a knife to slit the back of his shirt open with, because he was wearing it. (The shirt, not the knife!) His wings were settled at his back, and the knives gleamed all around us in the dim light.

"What do you mean you found me?" I asked warily, standing up and stretching. I felt something click into place on my back, and sighed contentedly. It was funny that I still had that crick in my back after I slept, even in this form, but I didn't think much about it.

"I mean…" Satoshi trailed off. "Well, you'll have to come see." I followed him without another question to the very back of the building, where something large and silhouetted sat in the dark that not even the great lights in the front of the building could penetrate. The temperature must have been anywhere between ten and twenty degrees colder, and I shuddered, not only from the cold, but from the feeling that was coming from that _thing_… I didn't even need Satoshi's explanation.

_There was a deafening bang. I heard someone screaming, screaming, and I didn't realize it was me until the screams stopped. My uncle was next to me, trying to stop the bleeding, trying to save me…_

"_Oh Rue," he said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I can't…" he was crying. That was strange, he never cried. What had happened? "Damn them," he whispered, "Damn them all it wasn't supposed to be you!" I felt him pick me up. The sun was fading… what was going on? I was beginning to feel scared._

"_Uncle," I said, surprised at how hard it was for me to even whisper, "What's happening?" I saw him looking at me, tears in his eyes. _

"_Rue, I'm doing this for your own good," he said, "I promise when you're healed I'll fix you, but… I'm not letting you die. You look so much like her…" by 'her' he meant my mother, his sister. He used to tell me about her when I was younger. "I don't want to do this," he said, and my vision was so fuzzy it was useless. I shut my eyes. I couldn't think straight either; I was focusing so hard on breathing, in, out, in, out, in, out, in, out…_

I walked up to the small cryogenic chamber, pawed away some of the crystals of ice and the frost that had settled on the glass, and saw my face. _My_ face. I stared at myself for a long moment, then began trying to brush off some more of the frost from the glass. "They… they killed me," I whispered, "Someone… someone shot me." There it was. The bullet hole in my chest. The blood on my shirt. I had been shot. This was how my uncle had saved me, putting my mind in this body.

"Were you… are you a Hiwatari?" Satoshi asked. I nodded numbly. "And so was Kei?" Another nod from me. "The scientist and his niece…" He sounded as numb as I felt. "We… I… Krad…" he sighed. "Rue I'm sorry. This is my fault. We were being killed off one by one by this man, and… there was nothing else we could do. Lyra and Dark… they were the two…" I snarled and he shut up.

"You're saying that you and Krad ordered our deaths?" I asked, "And Lyra and Dark…" I jumped down from the chamber, hackles raised, snarling at Satoshi. He took one step back, then another. I continued approaching him, snarling.

"Rue," Satoshi said, "Calm down."

"Calm down!" I snarled, "No. No, you killed my uncle you killed me dammit I will not CALM DOWN!" I leapt at him but he jumped into the air and spread his wings.

"Rue," Satoshi said from the safety of one of the rafters, "This won't be solved by killing me." I growled. "Rue, please calm down."

The events of the day hit me like a sledgehammer. A very heavy sledgehammer. I blacked out.

…

I woke up in the same spot, Satoshi standing next to me. I didn't move. Every inch of my body ached, and I felt like I should just die now. Satoshi must not have realized I was awake, because he knelt down and stroked my head. It was wonderful feeling, and I wagged my tail. I loved being a wolf right then. "Satoshi," I said, "I'm sorry. I'm just… It's so hard to lose your only family to the same people who are rescuing you." Satoshi shook his head.

"It's fine," he said gently, "Do you think you can walk?" I struggled shakily to my feet and stood. I'd be able to walk, but I doubted very far. I nodded anyway. "Okay," Satoshi said, "Let's get back to the others. We've been here almost half an hour." I nodded and turned to follow him, but something caught my eye.

"Wait a sec," I said, and slowly moved toward the something that was glinting in the light. It shimmered and sparkled in the moonlight, sparkled gold in the silver light off the black blade. "Satoshi, I want to take this." It was a sword, but not a sword. It was like a long dagger, maybe a foot and a half long, with the hilt in the middle of the blade. It would be perfect for me to carry, if I didn't mind nine inches of steel protruding from either side of my mouth. Behind me, Satoshi gasped.

"That blade… Hanone… was lost to us long ago," he said in awe, looking at it. "It was always said that a wolf would bring it back to us and wield it… It is yours." I blinked.

"What about this wolf?" I asked, shocked. I picked up the blade and a chill ran through me.

"Just old legends," Satoshi said, "I never believed them. I'm going to say this is coincidence that you found the sword… and since you're technically human, a wolf didn't find it." I shrugged (well, it shouldn't be called a shrug, but it was habit,) and ignored the strength that was surging through me. Like I'd find a magic sword. That was legend, just like Satoshi said. I was being careful not to damage the leather or drool on the hilt, but it was hard. Plus, Hanone was heavy.

(AN: Hanone is 'Fang' in Japanese. Of course, if you know me, this wouldn't surprise you.)

"Well," I mumbled, finding it almost impossible to talk with the weapon in my mouth, "May-he we hould ge' baa." I dropped Hanone and tried again. "Maybe we should get back?"

"Good idea," Satoshi said as though he hadn't suggested it less than two minutes earlier. I grabbed Hanone and trotted out with him following closely behind me. "I'll have to have Krad look at the swords back there. If you found Hanone, maybe he can find its sister blade."

"Wha's tha?" I asked around Hanone.

"Tsume," Satoshi answered. "If you believe in legends, it would be in there. I doubt it though." I laughed.

(AN: Tsume= Claw in Japanese.)

"I don no wha to belee in," I mumbled, "Nah anymoe." Satoshi laughed. I knew I sounded ridiculous, but it still stung a little. I was a predator now, a strong fearless wolf, and yet he was laughing at me! Of course, I had to snicker a bit too, until I laughed loudly at myself for sounding so ridiculous, dropping Hanone on my foot in the process. I stepped back just in time, picked it back up, and didn't speak for the rest of the trip back to the lab. It was still dark out, but there was a pale gray-pink strip of sky on the eastern horizon.

Krad saw me almost immediatly. "You found Hanone?" He asked in shock. I walked over to him and placed the sword in his hand. He took it and spun it around, whirling it until he finally threw it at the wall. It stuck there, quivering, and I ran over and grabbed it.

"You're good," I commented after setting the blade down.

"You'll be better," Krad said, "It was made to be used by a wolf." I was still trying to figure that out, because as far as I could tell, it wasn't going to be easy to use. Eighteen inches of heavy steel and leather…

"Krad," Satoshi said, "Don't tell me you actually believe in those old legends." Krad shrugged. I wondered briefly where Daisuke had gone, but shoved the thought from my mind as Krad answered.

"Satoshi," Krad said, "Don't you remember the legend of the wolf? Were you never told the story of the wolf and the angel?" I felt my jaw drop, and glancing over at Satoshi, saw him staring at me like he couldn't believe I was there.

"I was never told that," Satoshi said, "I'll have to check the library. But for now, maybe we should set off. How long do you think it'll take us to get home? And where's Daisuke?" Krad shrugged.

"I'm not sure how long it'll take us," he admitted, "And as for Daisuke, I sent him out to guard the front. You can go get him if you want, but I want to try and find Tsume before we leave. Rue, would you come with me?" I nodded, and the three of us split up outside of the lab.

_Snap. _I stiffened. _Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. _My ears swiveled around, trying to pinpoint _where _that sound was coming from. I had thought it was the house, but… _Snap. _It was around here somewhere. I gave Krad the code to the building where the swords were (well, I shouted it at him) and tore off. _Snap. _It was getting louder. I kept running. I had to find out what was making that sound before I went insane. Then I stopped dead. I'd left Hanone with Krad, who'd been carrying it so we could talk, and I didn't know what I was going up against. I felt like an idiot, but didn't turn back. I approached more cautiously, but I didn't let myself turn back. _Snap. Snap. SNAP. _I jumped. The last snap had been so loud it hurt my ears.

I looked all around, but there was nothing there. I thought for a moment, then leapt up and sank my front paws into the earth. I started digging. I kept at it until I had a hole at least ten feet deep and five feet wide, and my paws were bleeding. If I could walk after this, it would be a miracle. No, it would be beyond a miracle. I curled up in the bottom of the hole to take a break-

And leapt back up, snarling in fright. Something had jabbed me! I stared at the ground for a long moment, searching for what must have been sticking out of the dirt, but I saw nothing. I curled up again, but almost immediately sprang back up. Still I saw nothing. _That felt like… an electric shock. _I shook my head. I couldn't dig another inch. The dirt was already mud on my paws where it had mixed with the blood that was caked in my fur, and I definitely wouldn't be walking for a while, so I couldn't get out. _Yay… I'm stuck… in a hole… with something that keeps shocking me… _The sun was just peeking over the horizon now, and I was so tired…

"Where is she?" I barked. That had sounded like Satoshi, thank God. "Rue?"

"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual, "I'm kinda stuck…" Satoshi sighed and jumped down the hole. He picked me up and jumped, spreading his wings, and then landed a few feet away. "There's something down there," I said once he'd set me down and I'd curled up on the ground, "Something that's shocking me." I heard someone walking towards us and growled, but it was just Krad.

"I couldn't find it," he said, "Maybe… Rue, what have you been doing?" I nodded towards the hole.

"Digging," I replied, "And tearing my paws open in the process." He sighed. "Krad, tell me if there's something down there. It feels like I'm being shocked every time I try to lie down in there, but I can't see anything. You're eyes are better than mine." He nodded and went to look.

"Rue, what led to this place?" He said after a moment.

"There was a sort of snapping noise…" I said, "It was driving me crazy, so I went to try and find out what it was." Krad grinned at me and jumped down.

"Well, you found Tsume," he called excitedly, jumping and scrambling out of the hole. It was quite undignified, but the excitement that shone from his eyes made up for it. In his hands he held a small piece of metal. It looked like a claw. A golden claw. I snorted.

"That's Tsume?" I asked incredulously.

"No," Krad said, "_This _is Tsume." He closed his fist around the small claw and his entire hand began to glow. There was a bright flash, and when I could see again…

Krad held a three foot long golden sword in a double handed grip. A gold sword, the blood channel an etched design of a fang, copied over and over and over again. I blinked at it, placing my head on my paws, trying to figure out what I'd just seen. I couldn't even process it. This thing had been calling to me ever since Krad had come. It made sense; it was meant for him as Hanone was meant for me.

"So Satoshi," Krad commented dryly, "Still don't believe in legends?"

…

AN: Well, okay. I promise that after this, I'll start bringing in more of the DN Angel cast. And I'm going to start trying to write longer chapters… but no guarantees, unfortunately, especially since I really need to seriously begin TEM II. Anyway, please R&R!

Oh, right, the inspiration. Well, this was actually inspired by a dream that I had a while back. I was Rue (except in the dream I was a red wolf with like... magical abilities or something, because I remember becoming invisible) and for some reason, I was actually a human that had been turned into a wolf, and now I was being kept in a castle as an experiment... I have weird dreams, don't I? I've actually forgotten most of the rest, and for some reason I think I ended up as a human at a tourist shop and found... I think it was a hawks wing... (don't ask) but just to shout this out: don't be afraid to write down your dreams! They might become something really cool! (At least, _I _consider this to be cool. Or at least fun to write.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. I do own Rue, but not DN Angel. And unfortunately, I will not be able to create a doujinshi featuring Rue, since I cannot draw to save my life. (Or anyone else's.)

…

We left an hour later, when I could walk normally. Krad hadn't asked anything about me, so I figured he hadn't seen the cryogenic chamber (which was hard to imagine) or had figured everything out for himself. I didn't bother bringing it up; it hurt to even think about. I'd given Hanone to Krad, we'd found Daisuke and were preparing to set off. The sun was high now, it was nearing noon. The cool grass felt wonderful on my feet as I set off to unlock the door that had always kept me trapped here. It was protected by a code, just like the other doors, but I wanted to unlock this one myself. I snatched a stick in my mouth and gently pressed the buttons. 6-9-8-2-4-6-9-8-2. I heard the lock click. I felt something in me break.

This place had been my home for almost all of my life. And now I was walking out on it. I was walking out on my life, my uncle… I hadn't even given him a grave.

It felt like someone had shoved a steel bar through my stomach.

I hit the lock button and bounded away from the door. I knew what I wanted to do. I ran straight into the lab and began looking around at the experiments. If any one of them appeared as though they could live outside of the lab, I unlocked their cage. It was hard to do, but I did it fast.

There, a white rabbit with red eyes and a long tail. I snapped the bars on its cage and dashed off. There, a cat with bats wings. A dog (my heart broke) with a snakes tail. These were only my uncle's minor experiments… very few of his major ones ever turned out correctly; there were only three of them: me, Krad, and Satoshi. I kept throwing open cages, admiring a cute squirrel until it struck out at me with a set of (probably) venomous fangs. _I'm leaving that one there. _I ran up and down one more time, then dashed out, hoping the animals (hybrids, I suppose) would follow me. They did.

The little rabbit thing was running beside me, and I scooped it up in my mouth. I liked it, I decided. It was coming with me. The other hybrids trailed behind. I dashed around to where Satoshi, Krad, and Daisuke stood, and dropped the rabbit at their feet. "We've got one more coming with," I said, gesturing at it with my nose. "Give me another few minutes." I dashed off without waiting for an answer.

Next I went to our house. It was exactly as it had been left, one wall collapsed, windows shattered, Kei… I whimpered and slowed down, padding gently towards his corpse. Strangely, nothing appeared to have touched it. _Him, _I snapped at myself. _Nothing has touched _him. I gently nuzzled his shoulder with my nose. He was cold and stiff, a corpse. I felt tears prick the backs of my eyes. "Why?" I whispered. "Why did you do this to me?" My whole body shuddered with gentle sobs as the enormity of this situation. I had no guardian, no family left. Kei was gone forever, and nothing could bring him back.

I was going to bury him. He had been a terrible man, but he at least deserved a decent funeral. I searched around the house, looking for something; hoping the collapse of one wall hadn't damaged it. I wanted a picture. A picture and a curtain. I wouldn't be able to provide a coffin, but…

"Rue!" I heard Satoshi softly calling my name, but I ignored him. "Rue, where are you?" I didn't even turn, not even when I heard his footsteps right behind me. "Rue," he said again, "I'm sorry." I didn't want to hear it. I just didn't. I said nothing. I didn't turn to face him.

I turned and set off in search of what I needed. I didn't say a word when he followed.

I tore a curtain from one of the windows. It was a light blue, and long. My uncle had always told me how it matched my eyes. It suited the occasion. I went back over to him and set it near his feet. When I came back, Satoshi was staring out the window. I paid him no mind. There was one more thing I needed. Unfortunately for me, it was in my old room. I took a deep breath to prepare myself, and shoved the door open.

The glass window was barely cracked, and sun streamed through the open curtain. My bed stood in one corner, a dresser with a mirror balanced on top of it directly across from that. A light gray rug was thrown over the wood floor, my slippers sitting on it. My closet was shut, so I didn't have to look at its emptiness, and a shelf sat on the wall opposite my bed. The shelf was what I wanted. I walked over to it and balanced on my hind legs, trying to reach the small picture I wanted. My jaws snapped just shy of it, so I hopped down again and grabbed one of my slippers. I walked back and batted the picture with it, and it came just a bit closer. I repeated the process, and when it came within grabbing range, I snapped it up carefully in my jaws and walked back to where Kei lay.

Satoshi was there now, wrapping the curtain around him. I wanted to kill him, but at the same time, I was thankful. There was no way I could have done that myself. I walked up to him, and dropped the picture on top of the curtain. He picked it up and looked at it for a moment, then set it down.

"Is that the two of you?" He asked. I nodded, not trusting my voice. It had been a few years previously that I'd taken that photo. He'd been in a good mood, and I'd been happy. We were lying on my rug, playing a game of chess. I could never beat him, but I loved playing against him. It was something I could do with my uncle, and I think that's really what mattered to me. It had taken me forever to get the timer to work for the shot, but I'd done it. I was laughing, he was sighing and was just about to checkmate me… I smiled at the memories as tears streamed down my muzzle. I tucked the picture carefully into the folds of the curtain, and pawed my tears away.

"I want to bury him," I whispered. "Can you carry him for me?" Satoshi nodded, not blinking. His wings cast small rainbows on the walls as he picked up the bundle that was my uncle. I couldn't help but smile gratefully at him, and he returned the small gesture. Then I set off and he followed.

I walked over to the hole I'd dug early this morning; when I'd accidently found Tsume. It took about five minutes, at the pace I was going. Satoshi's footsteps were light and easy behind me.

I didn't know what to make of Satoshi. Or Krad, for that matter. Daisuke was obviously a very nice, easygoing person, but those two were so… they just seemed to be hiding their true selves. But then we were there and I stopped thinking about it.

It felt so strange to be burying him, my uncle. It felt wrong, so wrong, but right. It felt strange, but right and wrong and… I'm sorry. I'm confusing you. Maybe you know how I felt, but then again, maybe you don't, and I'm sorry I can't tell you quite what it was like.

"Here?" Satoshi asked. I nodded, then watched as he jumped down the hole and gently, carefully set my uncle's body on the bottom. I whimpered gently, but I wouldn't cry. Not anymore, not again, never again. Never. I didn't have it in me; my tears were gone for good now. Satoshi jumped back up to me with the help of his wings, and stood next to me.

"Thank you," I said, and my voice held steady. "Could you… you know, just give me a few minutes?"

"Of course," Satoshi said, "I'm sorry. I'll be waiting over with the others." I nodded.

"Uncle," I whispered, once Satoshi was out of earshot, "You were a terrible man. I was wrong to ever call you family, but I did. I loved you, somewhere deep down, and I guess it took me too long to realize that. I'm sorry Uncle Kei. I wish I would have seen it sooner. Maybe I could have helped you change. Maybe, if I'd learned to act quicker, I could have saved you. Rest in peace. Please don't forget me."

And with these words, I scraped the first paw full of dirt into the grave.

…

Twenty minutes later, I walked back over to the three boys. I'd taken my time in burying my uncle, trying to make sure I got in all of my last goodbyes; making sure I forgot nothing, and then I'd found a large stone to mark the place where he lay. After inspecting the shabby grave carefully, I'd left him. It tore my heart out, but I'd walked away.

"Sorry," I whispered, "I just… I wanted to bury him." Krad said nothing, Satoshi's eyes glimmered with understanding (he had been there after all) and Daisuke nodded. "I'll go unlock the door now."

"Please do," Krad said, and I detected a hint of bitterness in his voice. I walked over to the door, grabbing the same stick as I had before, and typing in the same code. Part of me was buzzing with nerves, and part of me was numb. The only family I had was dead, but I was free. My family was dead, but I was free. Was it wrong to feel happy?

Maybe. But I couldn't help myself. The lock beeped and I heard the doors whir open. I bounded forward, feeling the first small gust of cool air from the other side of the door send shivers up and down my spine. I heard a bird call. The wind smelled clean and fresh.

And then I realized where I was and stopped dead.

"Rue," Satoshi asked, "What's wrong?" I didn't move. I hadn't been outside in so long, I'd forgotten where I lived. There were wild things out here, dangerous things… I snarled as one of the beasts passed in front of us.

"Yes," Krad said dryly, "That's a squirrel." I tensed, remembering the one with fangs I'd seen in my uncle's lab.

"Do they have fangs?" I asked, staring at the thing. The little white rabbit thing I'd rescued from the lab made a funny noise, like a little 'kyuu', almost like it was laughing. Krad didn't bother hiding a snicker from me. "Well, you know, I've never gotten outside much," I snapped defensively.

"No," Daisuke said, "They don't have fangs. They're herbivores." Oh. Well, I felt stupid. At least I knew what he meant though. I'd been given a pretty decent education, nothing like Harvard or anything, but still.

"Come on," Krad snapped, "We can't waste time standing around. Satoshi, you fly ahead and tell us if we're on track. Daisuke, come with us." Looking at him, I was reminded he was of royal blood. The way he spoke, how he looked at us, everything reminded me of a king, of a soldier. Even the look in his eyes was a reminder; the look of someone who'd had to make very hard choices in a matter of seconds, the look of someone who had killed. Maybe it was just his eyes, but the look they held made me want to cower away from him.

"Of course," Satoshi said, and took off. He was a bit clumsy looking at first, especially right after takeoff, like he didn't seem to know what to do with his arms or his legs, but then he evened out and seemed to gain a bit more majesty. Krad turned, and without another word, walked off.

"You've done something to him," Daisuke commented. But he didn't say whether 'him' was Krad or Satoshi, and I was too busy looking around me to ask. Everything was new; the tree leaves like emeralds, the sky a blue silk cape speckled with white clouds of cotton, the grass waving and rustling with the breeze. Tiny flowers, like jewels, speckled the green landscape. I couldn't believe my luck.

I turned my back on my old home; turned away from the city I had always planned on living in when I turned eighteen, and faced the wide, open prairie that gave way to trees. Maybe, just maybe, I could find a home in this beautiful wild.

Satoshi's wings beat above us.

…

AN: GAAAAHHH! IT'S SO SHORT! I'm so sorry I keep making you all wait and wait for such short chapters! I feel terrible… Please review anyways? *Puppy eyes*


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Disclaimer: Hey, Krad!

Krad: What?

Me: Do I own DN Angel?

Krad: Why on earth should I answer such an idiotic question?

Me: Because if you do, I'll give you this. *Holds out automatic rifle* It might make catching Dark easier…

Krad: *Grabs gun* No you do not! *Flies away*

*long pause*

Me: Why do I have a feeling I just did something terrible in the name of entertainment?

**…**

As I scampered and ran through the forest, I wished I had ten more pairs of eyes. Especially because I had to keep Krad and Daisuke in sight, since I didn't know my way around. But there was so much to see, so much to hear, so much to _smell, _that I didn't pay either of them much attention as I darted between trees. I simply allowed my senses to be my guides.

I stuck my nose in a bright red flower and sneezed, then heard Krad chuckle behind me. Contrary to what I had first believed, his new eyes were full of expression, though not what they had been before. Daisuke stayed about a pace behind Krad, and he too had laughter in his eyes. "C'mere Rue," he said, "You've got pollen all over your nose." Looking cross-eyed down at my nose, I saw he was right and obediently trotted over to him and let him dust off my nose.

"Well," I said with a grin, "Maybe I shouldn't stick my nose into any more flowers?" Daisuke laughed.

"Maybe not," he replied. I grinned and stuck my nose into the next breeze that swept around us, smelling the scents of the forest.

And then I smelled it. That sweet, salty tang in the air that was mixed with fur and sweat and… something else that I knew but didn't know. And something inside me, deep, deep inside me, snapped.

I took off so fast… I ran into a tree. Or rather, I almost did. I glanced off it and jumped to another. Good gods, now I was part squirrel. Then I felt my paws hit the ground and tore off, dodging around the trees and towards that smell. Tree branches whipped past me, I heard Krad and Daisuke shout something behind me but didn't pay attention, and somewhere far off, I heard a howl.

A wolf's howl. And I howled right back. There was a thin ring of red around my vision, and my senses felt multiplied even more than usual. I didn't know what I was chasing, but I knew I wanted to catch it, whatever it was.

I didn't know it then, but I was hunting. I ran along the forest ground, my paws beating a cadence of hunger and bloodlust, as another howl tore itself from my throat. Ah, how this felt so right! I couldn't imagine anything better than this… Except having my body back and being with my parents.

But those thoughts didn't come to me as I ran. I just went ahead, following my nose, until I ran out of ground. I was standing at a cliff at least twenty feet high, staring down at a stampeding herd of moose and the small wolf pack that was trying to separate a sickly old bull from the rest. I almost laughed at them. They were going about it all wrong…if they attacked from above, they would have higher velocity, and would create more impact. In fact…

I took several steps back and prayed that I would live through this. Then I ran forward and jumped. I hung in the air for several seconds, moving forward, and then I dropped. As I sped towards the ground, I saw that I was headed for a younger bull moose, probably only two years old, but much tastier looking than that old sick thing the others were chasing, and with much more meat on its bones. I braced myself for impact and opened my jaws wide, ready to snap his neck when I landed (hopefully) on his back. I did.

The moose bucked and jumped and threw itself away from the herd in its panic, but I dug my claws into its hide and hung on, snapping at its neck, trying to get a good hold of it. It felt right, hunting alone. Good. I could hear someone else speaking, but I couldn't make out much more than 'going to be killed'. It was the wolves, it must have been. But I'd prove them wrong. I dug my claws deep into the moose's hide, and bit deep. I felt my teeth sink through flesh, and fur, and muscle, and finally settle on the creature's spinal cord. My jaw tightened and I felt the bone snap.

The moose tumbled head over hooves, and for one terrifying moment, I was pinned beneath it. Then it rolled over onto its side and lay still. I pulled myself away from it and shook myself off, the dust fairly flying from my coat. Then I stared at my kill for a moment; the blood still trailing from the wounds in its neck and back, and then, almost without thought, I tore the fur and skin away from its shoulder and began to eat. I don't know when I became aware of being watched, but I had been eating for several minutes.

"Who's there?" I growled, knowing I was speaking the wolf's language.

"It is I," a voice answered, "Raiden, leader of this territory's pack. Why are you hunting in our lands?" I did not turn.

"I will not chase you away from food," I snapped, "If you are hungry, come and eat. I am passing through; I will be gone soon enough and I don't wish to fight with the packs I come by." I heard Raiden growl behind me, and soon, a sleek black she-wolf came around, opposite me.

"I am Odessa," she said, "Raiden's mate. Thank you for sharing your kill with us; most lone wolves are not as kind." A moment later, she was joined by Raiden, a creamy colored wolf who looked as though he had never lost a fight. His hide was littered with scars, and a portion of his right ear was bitten away. I liked them both at once.

"As I said," I replied, looking down again, "I do not hunt those who hunger. I will leave you now, and be on my way." Raiden looked at me strangely.

"What you wear around your throat is a mark of man," he commented.

"It is a gift," I said, "A last gift, from my father." Odessa caught my eye, and she seemed frightened. I took a step back, away from my kill, before I realized the other wolves behind the two alphas. "Let them eat," I said quietly. I knew of the hierarchy of the wolves, that the alphas ate their fill first, then allowed the rest of the pack to take what was left, but it suddenly struck me as wrong. There was a thin, young, red she-wolf at the back of the pack, who favored her back left paw. She reminded me of who I had been, as a human. She should be eating; her ribs stuck out through her sides. She should be eating, not these fat, sleek wolves! "Let the others eat."

"I do not know where you come from," Raiden snarled, "But that is not how we do things here." I growled, a sound that came deep from my throat and vibrated out past my teeth, past my lips. "You will fight me over this?" He sounded disbelieving.

"Yes," I said, "Because I have felt starvation." There had been many days where I'd gone to bed hungry; other days where I had woken hungry and gone to bed worse. Days I had stared at the grass and wished I was a cow, or a horse, or anything that could eat the green stalks that stood, bending slightly in the breeze, taunting me. And now, staring at this red wolf, this she-wolf with her lame paw, I felt anger stirring within me. "Just let them eat. You're scarred enough as it is."

I saw Raiden's eyes widen, his nostrils flare, his muscles tense. I was ready when he sprang at me, knocked me to the ground, and I went with it. If I braced myself, I figured, the pain would only be worse. I snapped at his leg, and dug my back paws into his stomach. I drew blood before he leapt away from me, snarling. I flew back to my feet, and lunged at him.

I pinned him in a moment, stood with my teeth wrapped around his throat for several seconds, and then released him. "Come on then," I said to the others, trying to ignore the blood dripping on my nose. "Eat. You must be hungry." Odessa was looking at me as though I'd sprouted feathers.

"Get away from us," she said quietly, "Your masters call you." I turned and saw Krad and Daisuke, with the little white rabbity thing on his shoulder, coming toward us, Krad using Tsume to cut through some of the thicker vegetation. I looked at Odessa for a moment, but she didn't meet my gaze. With my head held high, I walked over to Krad and Daisuke, scrabbling up the cliff face to reach them.

"Don't go any closer to them," I said quietly, and continued walking back the way I'd come, my head now bowed and my tail brushing the forest floor. Behind me, I heard the two begin to follow, and I found I could differentiate the two from the sound of their footsteps. Krad's footsteps were quieter than Daisuke's, but slightly heavier, and Daisuke's were light, but clumsy. I couldn't hear Satoshi's wings, but it didn't bother me. I just kept walking until I found the path again.

"I swear," Krad snarled from behind me, "The first thing I'm going to do when I get home is get you a leash." He was panting, and it was only now that I realized he must have run after me.

With a gentle 'thud', Satoshi landed in front of me. "Krad's right," he said, "You can't just run off like that. Look at the sun." I glanced up, but I couldn't see the light falling in through the chinks of the leaves. I glanced back at Krad, but I could clearly see the look of annoyance on his face. Nothing was in shadow to me, just different colors than normal.

"We'll spend the night here then," Krad said. "Hopefully we can get home tomorrow…" He glared at Daisuke as though this was his fault. I yawned, stretched myself out on the ground, and covered my muzzle with my paws. "Niwa, go find your brother. I swear, if he's been sitting about watching us, I'll kill him."

"Krad," Satoshi cut in before Daisuke could reply. "I haven't seen him. He'll be at the castle, and… it's probably best Rue doesn't meet him now." They must have thought I was asleep, and I didn't bother correcting them. "He's the one who killed her, after all…"

"She's alive now," Krad snapped, "And you act as though I enjoy his company." I could almost see the two in my mind's eye, Krad several inches taller than Satoshi, staring down at him with those strange eyes he'd been given…

But before I had time to finish this image, I felt someone trip over me and fall with a yelp. It was, of course, Daisuke. Something clattered out of his arms, and a moment later, he scrambled away from me. "Sorry Rue," he said, "I was getting firewood..." I stood up, grabbed a branch in my mouth, and dropped it a few feet away.

"Niwa," Krad muttered, "You idiot…" I laughed.

"It's not his fault," I said, trying to pile the wood as best I could using my muzzle. "He can't see like we can." I don't know why I said 'we'. I didn't know if Krad saw things the way I did. But it slipped out of my mouth, and I couldn't take it back.

"That's true," Krad said, "But still…" He didn't finish his sentence, but then again, I doubted he had an end for it. I sighed and sat down, watching with interest as the three began to try and light a fire. "Please tell me someone has got a flint," Krad sighed.

"Yeah," Daisuke replied quietly, "Here." I saw him pass something to Krad, and a moment later, sparks flew with the sound of stone on steel. They didn't catch, of course.

"You brought firewood," Satoshi said dryly, "But it appears you've forgotten kindling." I walked out of camp before I could hear Daisuke's reply. They didn't have any food, and I figured I'd be the best one to go hunting for them. I'd grab a rabbit and be back as soon as I could.

I put my nose to the forest floor and started sniffing around, picking up scents that I didn't know, but instinctively associated with prey. I could even smell the leather of the other's shoes. I kept sniffing and smelling around, keeping low, staying silent, until I finally smelled what I wanted: Rabbit. Maybe it was a hare, I wasn't sure, but I kept my nose to the ground and sniffed around.

The trail was almost too simple to follow, but it took me to something that I wasn't expecting. A trap, with its jaws closed around the leg of a terrified rabbit. It looked like it had been there for a few days – all the grass around it was eaten to the dirt, which was torn and full of claw- and scuff-marks.

It looked at me as I approached; looked me in the eyes, and a silent understanding passed between us. It didn't want to die at the hands of men, used only for its fur. I took another step toward it, and although it shuddered, it stayed where it was. Once more, it looked me in the eyes, asking me silently for a painless death.

I took one last step and snapped its neck.

**…**

"I brought dinner," I said, walking into camp with the rabbit a few minutes later. It had been a nightmare trying to pry the poor things leg out of the trap, and in the end, I'd just bitten it off. "It's not much, but…" I set it down and curled up away from the now crackling fire, not wanting to watch as they skinned it. In fact, I didn't want to watch anything anymore…

I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**…**

AN: … I don't even know what to say about this… I don't think it's as good as my other chapters… still; this is, in essence, where the real story starts.

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Disclaimer: Grr… grr, ruff bark woof!

Rue: That's wolf for 'I don't own DN Angel, and if you try to sue me, I'll bite you.'

Me: Oh. I meant to say 'I don't own DN Angel. If anyone tries to sue me, I'll have Rue bite them.'

Rue: Eww… No thanks.

Me: Rue, just go along with it! If I'm sued you'll cease to exist!

Rue: I will bite you if you think Pheo here owns DN Angel. There. Was that good?

Me: Yes. Now, onto the story!

…

When I woke the next day, it was early morning and the other three were already awake, talking around the remains of last night's fire. I padded up to them, still half asleep, and sat down. "Morning," I said with a yawn.

"Yes," Satoshi replied sarcastically, "Clever observation that is." I pinned my ears at him, having never been fond of sarcasm unless it was coming from my own mouth- erm, muzzle. "Anyway, we think we'll be able to get home today. If it's all the same to you, we've decided it best you stay with Daisuke's family at first." I seemed to remember that Daisuke's brother was Dark… and Dark had killed me (when I was human)… I figured we'd have to settle our differences sooner or later.

"Whatever you think is best," I replied. What I was thinking was slightly different. _Someone will end up dead. Most likely this 'Dark' person. _"When do we start off?"

"Now," Krad said. He hadn't looked at me at all, and even now, he glanced off in the direction we'd be heading instead of towards me. It stung a bit, though I wasn't sure why. He stood up and walked away, Satoshi leapt into the air, and Daisuke clambered up to follow Krad. I stayed where I was for a moment before standing slowly and following the redhead. My tail brushed the forest floor, and I kept my head level with the rest of my body, picking up and setting down my feet with utmost care. I made no sound. I felt like a shadow, light as air and as dark as midnight, aside from the light gray sock running up my right leg.

We had been walking for several hours when we came to a stream and Krad had us stop. Satoshi swooped down like a hawk on the other side; Krad arched his eyebrows, but Satoshi seemed to shrug him off with his eyes. I quickly lowered my head and took a drink; after all, it was abnormally warm for the season. I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to see what I just had.

When the water stilled, I got my first look at my new face. I managed to catch myself off guard, and jumped backwards when I saw the black face and lolling pink tongue staring up at me. Then I shook my head, embarrassed, and looked again. My face was straight black, and unscarred. My eyes were gold and feral; they practically glowed, though not with any particular feeling. My ears were edged with the same gray as my leg, but other than that, I saw that I had no markings anywhere.

I turned away and jumped over the water, circled twice, and collapsed. Not that I was tired, but I did want off of my feet. My paws still hadn't healed from digging, and I licked the dirt away from the scabs. (It may sound odd to you, but to me, it felt natural.) After I'd done that, I sat up and listened to the others.

"If we leave now," Krad was saying, "We can get there in a few hours."

"And if we don't?" Satoshi asked, spreading his wings and settling them against his back again.

"Rue will most likely get picked off for a fur coat."

"What about me being a fur coat?" I asked, shocked.

"The Hunt," Satoshi said simply. "You're right Krad, we ought to get going. Daisuke, are you okay?" The latter nodded and stood, and Satoshi spread his wings again; then seemed to think better of it. "I think I'll walk with you three, if that's alright." Krad nodded and jumped the stream as I had, with Daisuke quickly following him. This time, I trotted attentively next to Satoshi instead of bringing up the rear of this strange procession. We spoke very little, but I didn't really care. It was nice to walk beside him.

The forest still captivated me, though not in the way it had yesterday. It was still the same forest, beautiful, with green tinted light and shafts of gold shining through the foliage, with jewel colored birds flying through the branches and the sounds (and unfortunately, bite marks) of bugs, but it seemed different now. I had begun to call it home.

…

Several hours later, I heard a gentle rustling in a tree that stood a few yards ahead of us. I didn't think much of it (but that it was a squirrel and possibly could be lunch) until a few minutes later. I heard the same noise again and suddenly stopped, swiveling my ears around to better catch the sound. I growled slightly.

"Rue?" Satoshi asked, "What's wrong?" I didn't answer immediately, as I was still trying to find where the noise was coming from, but then pointed my muzzle towards a thick old oak, not two feet to Krad's left.

"We're being followed," I said, my voice barely audible. A moment later, Hanone thudded into the ground at my feet. Krad had thrown it to me, practically putting it through my left paw. I tried to pull it out of the dirt, but I couldn't get a good grip on the hilt and left it, figuring my teeth and claws would work just as well for the task at hand.

"Er, Prince?" Daisuke said quietly, "I think it's just my brother." I blinked. Dark was here? How perfect. I jumped straight up the tree, scrabbling up the bark with my claws, and found him quickly. His hair didn't really camouflage him in the green foliage…

"Goddammit you stupid mutt! Get off of me!" This, of course, was after I had knocked him out of the tree and to the ground. I hadn't heard any bones break, so I assumed he was either trained to be knocked to the ground by vicious wolves or we'd landed on something soft. Either way, I probably would've killed him if Krad hadn't stopped me.

"Rue," he snapped, "Act civilized. As much as I'd love to see you kill him, we can't afford to lose a guard." I snarled and wrapped my fangs around his neck before loping back to the others. "Rue, this is Dark. Dark, this is the girl you killed two days ago."

If Dark was surprised, he didn't show it. "You seem… fuzzier. And less dead." I snarled again, and was pleased to see a bit of color drain from his face.

"Yes," Krad said before I could get a word out, "And where were you when we were captured? _You_ were supposed to keep guard while we broke into that damned laboratory!" I will freely admit that Krad scares me. I will also freely admit that he looked about ready to kill Dark.

"Where do you think I was?" Dark asked, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "I was sitting in that tree, watching the forest as you'd ordered me to." Tsume landed a half inch away from his leg, and Krad sighed. "You never were good at that," Dark said, almost smiling.

"Oh shut up," Krad said tiredly. "I've rethought my plans; what Lyra told you is wrong. It's too dangerous for Rue to come straight to my parents, so I'm going to have her live with you and Daisuke."

"Too dangerous? What, afraid your pet'll get butchered for attacking someone else?"

"I'm no one's pet!" I snarled. Instantly, I realized my mistake. "And yes, I talk, get over it and remember next time you kill a scientist's niece that we don't die so easily."

"No one's pet, huh?" Dark asked, "You look like you'd make a decent war hound to me." This time, Hanone stuck itself into a tree trunk about a foot to Dark's right. Again, Krad had thrown it, though this time I think he was just trying to shut Dark up.

"Come on," Krad said, "Keep moving. Rue, if Dark gets too annoying, feel free to bite him, but no killing please."

I sighed, but made no comment. I had hoped Dark would jump back into the canopy of trees, but he seemed content to finish the journey with us on foot. I left him alone though. I suppose I wanted to obey orders, though why I couldn't fathom. So I walked, still to Satoshi's right, and ignored the assassin behind me.

After about half an hour, I dropped back a few paces, beside Daisuke. "I'm sorry," I said. He didn't reply, but I hoped he would forgive me for attempting to kill his brother. Otherwise, it might be a bit awkward living with him. "How long do you think it will be before we get… there?" I just realized I had no idea what Daisuke's hometown –or, I suppose I should say, kingdom –was called.

"Algernon," Daisuke replied, "And another hour, at the least." I nodded. My feet hurt. Some of the cuts on the bottom of my paws had come open again, and leaves and dirt and bits of twig were making me wince with every step. I was panting, and I choked on a fly. This was going to be a _long _hour.

"Stop here," Krad said, "We might as well take a break." I instantly sat down and started licking my paws, trying my best to clean the dirt away from the torn flesh. Satoshi jumped up to the nearest tree branch, and Dark quickly followed. Daisuke sat down a few feet from me, and Krad leaned against the nearest tree.

Eventually I let myself flop over onto my side, my legs sticking straight out. Dark sighed from overhead. "You look like you were hit by a car."

"Never seen one," I replied. "Never went to the City."

"I'll admit, you're not missing much," Dark said. "And it's hard for people like us to blend in. Most people there look more like your uncle did… or I guess like our mom." I laughed slightly at that.

"So, not that I know your mom, but I'm guessing that brown hair is common?"

"All there is, really," Dark replied. "Brown hair and eyes, suits, and smog over gray buildings." I shuddered. To imagine, that there was all this light and beauty and color here… and only a few days away… something like _that. _The idea scared me.

"We couldn't hide in there for a minute," Krad cut in, "And there, there are no dogs or wolves… nothing really, but people and buildings." I closed my eyes, wishing my hearing wasn't so good. "We'll set off again in a few minutes… you okay?" I opened one eye, just to confirm that he was talking to me. He was.

"I hope so," I said, standing.

"We'll get something for your paws once you're settled in with us," Daisuke said. I grinned at him, baring my fangs. He smiled back, and even though it was a nervous grin, it lightened my footsteps (or would it be pawsteps?) the rest of the way to Algernon.

And the moment I saw it, I knew I was home.

…

AN: I really, really hate myself for the length of this… I swear to you all, I'm trying to write long chapters, but the drive just isn't here right now. Maybe once school starts back up and I start getting more sleep… (I start the first of September, bleh…)

Anyway, reviews would be greatly appreciated! Thank you to those who have reviewed already, you all encourage me to pick up a pencil and get to writing!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Disclaimer: I OWN DN ANGEL! *is tackled by lawyers* OKAY, NEVER MIND! *lawyers retreat* Well… That was odd… I guess I don't own DN Angel after all…

WARNINGS: Emiko. And I think that's about it.

…

"Well Rue," Daisuke said, "It's not much, but here's our house." Krad and Satoshi had gone off to who knows where (though I assumed a castle or wherever they lived), escorted by Dark, while Daisuke had taken me to his place to meet his parents. We hadn't needed to walk far. Daisuke's house was a beautiful work of stone that was built into the wall just behind the main gate (although how a wall had been constructed around such a gigantic area was beyond me), with a shabbily shingled roof and a huge, wraparound deck overlooking the few buildings that were visible from where we stood. Several gardens were in full bloom, one filled with every shade of red and yellow flowers like a patch of fire, another decorated with shades of blue and red and purple, and so many other colors it hurt my eyes to even look at. If I craned my head to the left _just _right, I could see a vegetable garden behind the house.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, "This is beautiful." Daisuke blushed at the compliment and we walked up to the door, which swung open when we were a few feet away. A blur of brown and green shot towards Daisuke, who instinctively took a step back, tripped over me, and knocked us both to the ground.

"Daisuke!" The blur (who I assumed was Daisuke's mother) promptly tackled him, pinning us both to the ground. I felt the breath leave my lungs, and let out a very un-wolf-like yelp of pain. "Oh my, did I hurt you?" She hadn't noticed me yet, I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was still speaking to Daisuke.

"No mom," Daisuke replied, "But… If you'd get off of me, I'd like to introduce you to someone." Instantly the woman scrambled to her feet, pulling Daisuke up with her. Then her gaze fell on me. Her jaw dropped. "Um… mom," Daisuke said, "I'd like you to meet Rue. Rue, this is my mom." I stood up, gratefully noting that I hadn't broken a rib.

"Pleasure to meet you," I said. Daisuke's mother fainted. "Oh… Sorry Daisuke… I guess that wasn't very tactful…" Daisuke smiled and shook his head.

"C'mon mom, you haven't really fainted in ages. Get up and I'll explain." The woman sat up slowly, still staring at me in shock. I sat down, so as to appear to be less like roadkill than I had been several seconds earlier, and gave her a small smile, trying not to bare my fangs.

"Dai," his mom said, "How do you explain _this?" _I didn't like her tone of voice much; she sounded like we'd met on not-very-good terms before.

"She's the scientist's niece," Daisuke replied. "Mom, this is Rue Hiwatari." I blinked. Oh yes, of course. Satoshi had asked me if I was a Hiwatari. I'd even confirmed his thoughts. But I had been too shocked by the discovery of my old body to fully comprehend his words, or mine. But that was my name. Rue Hiwatari. The woman stared at me like I was a ghost for a split second, and then her eyes turned cold.

"Well," she said, her voice too pleasant to match her eyes, "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Rue. You can call me Emiko. I'm Daisuke and Dark's mother and gatekeeper here. Dai, could you come here for a moment?" She moved to what she deemed to be a safe distance away, about thirty feet, and Daisuke, sending a helpless 'I'm so sorry' look over his shoulder, followed her. I don't think either of them realized I could hear them both perfectly.

"Mom," Daisuke said, "What's wrong?"

"Where will she be staying?" Emiko hissed. "And where's Dark?"

"She'll be staying with us, of course," Daisuke replied, "And Dark's escorting Prince Krad and Prince Satoshi to the castle."

"So they're all okay then?" Emiko said. "Thank God, the whole kingdom's been on tenterhooks!" Then suddenly, her expression became stern (or at least, I assumed it did. My eyes weren't what they once were). "But Daisuke, what are we going to do with that wolf?"

"She's a human being mom. You can see that, can't you?" I smiled at Daisuke. Even after I had attempted to kill his brother, he could still stand up for me. I found myself wishing that more humans were like him. I also felt a stinging blow accompanying Emiko's words. I _was _more than a wolf. I knew I was. Why couldn't she see that? "And she's here to stay, at least until Prince Krad comes to pick her up." I felt the fur on the back of my neck stand on end. Krad… maybe it was the new eyes he had, but he seemed more cat-like than I had remembered on first meeting him, and he seemed to just set me on edge. I didn't want to be near him. Satoshi was okay, but Krad… I shook the thoughts out of my head. I wasn't sure whether wolves could be charged with treason, but I figured it would be best to play it safe.

"So what?" Emiko asked, "He's planning on training her as a war-hound?" There was that word again. Dark had mentioned it once, and gotten a sword thrown at his head for it. What did it mean? Obviously something to do with fighting, but that was the most I could figure out at the moment.

"I don't know," Daisuke admitted, "But mom, just let her stay. She's really nice, she'll help out around here, and the whole trip here; it was a day and a half, she didn't complain once. Look at the state of her paws."

I heard Emiko's voice soften just a bit. "What do you mean?"

"Her paws are practically torn to shreds mom. I saw her trying to clean them off every time we stopped, but she never complained once." Now that Daisuke had mentioned that, I felt like crying with gratitude. And of course, pain. Because suddenly, my front paws; my front _legs, _felt like they were going to give out. I lay down, trying to make the movement seem casual. Emiko sighed. I could hear her approaching footsteps, quick and light, like butterfly wings.

"I'm sorry Rue," she said, "Are you okay?" I felt her pick up one of my paws, which was rather uncomfortable, and then set it down.

"I think so," I replied, "Just tired." I couldn't let her know I'd overheard her conversation with Daisuke. And I wasn't in the mood to complain about anything. That was just my nature, and it had been burned (not literally) into my mind by my uncle. 'Don't complain. Don't complain. Don't complain.'

"Your paws are torn to shreds," Emiko said, her voice taking on a motherly tone. "Can you walk inside? I can get some salve on them… Daisuke, have Towa get some bandages ready. Are you okay Rue?"

"I'll be fine," I said, "Thank you." I stood up (not without a bit of difficulty) and we went inside.

The interior of the house was amazing. There were throw rugs absolutely everywhere to disguise the stone floor, and the walls were covered with paintings. A vase of flowers from the fire garden (as I later learned it was called) sat in a mounted wall bracket near the door, bright red and yellow and orange like a torch. A large sofa sat in front of a fireplace, which was empty and cold at the moment and was probably the size of a small shack. I could've curled up in there, even with the logs that were stacked in there already, without a problem. The thought of a roaring fire made me slightly homesick, but not much. I was still too much in awe of my surroundings to feel sad about what I had left behind. This was beautiful. This was home.

"Here Rue," Emiko said, "I'm not sure where you'll be sleeping just yet, but just lay in front of the fireplace for a while. I'm going to go find Towa… she's probably gotten lost again…" I wondered briefly exactly how large this house was, but then a girl stumbled into the room, looking utterly confused. She had short silver hair and jade green eyes, and was wearing a purple dress that ended just above her knees.

"Miss Emiko!" She cried, "Thank goodness! That attic is absolutely crawling with snakes again! They're so horrible…" She shuddered, as though there wasn't anything in the world worse than snakes. Personally, I didn't mind them as long as they weren't poisonous. Emiko sighed.

"Towa, for the last time: those snakes aren't poisonous! They won't hurt you." Then she glanced over at me. "Towa, this is Rue." She stepped to one side, and I put on my best 'I won't eat you' face. "Rue, this is Towa, our maid." I decided I'd risk a smile, and Towa didn't even blink as she grinned back. Apparently, her fears ended at snakes.

"So there's someone else like me!" She cheered. "It's so nice to meet someone else with my abilities, I thought for the longest time I was the only one!" I blinked, suddenly confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked before I could stop myself, the pain in my paws momentarily forgotten. Towa's face became confused.

"Why, you're a Morphling of course!" Towa exclaimed. "I've never met another, just heard about Argentine… but he's a servant at the castle, and he's a _lizard, _which is practically a snake…"

"I-I'm sorry," I said, "But you're going to have to explain this a little more. I'm from the Borderland… and I lived in the City for a few years before that…" Towa's mouth fell into a perfect 'o' shape.

"I'm going to go get some bandages then," Emiko said brightly, and dashed off, leaving me with a still slightly stunned Towa.

A moment later, the two of us still sitting in silence, Daisuke ran past us. "Have either of you seen Wiz?" He cried, panicking.

"Wiz?" Towa and I asked in unison.

"That little white rabbity thing," Daisuke explained, "It had big red eyes and a long thick tail…"

"No…" I replied, "Not since you and Krad had to come find me after I killed that moose, now that I think about it." Daisuke grabbed at his hair before running outside.

"He's such a klutz," Towa commented after he'd slammed the door shut. I couldn't help but nod in agreement. "But anyway… for you to have come from the City is really weird. Most of us don't make it very long there."

"I'm sorry," I said again, "But I still don't know why you're calling me a Morphling."

Towa gazed at me for a moment, then scrunched her eyes closed and screwed up her face, as though concentrating extremely hard. A moment later, there was a bright flash of pink, and in Towa's place sat a tiny pink bird. "See?" She said, "We can turn into animals at will!" Oh dear. This was going to be hard to explain.

"Um, Towa," I began, but she quickly cut me off.

"Are you stuck in that form?" She asked, "Don't worry! I was stuck like this for a week before I finally figured out how to turn back, the trick is–"

"Towa," I said again, "I'm not a Morphling. I wish I was, but…" I took a deep breath and told her the whole story, right up to first seeing this house. Towa's mouth fell open again. I half expected her to unwittingly swallow a fly. "You see? I'm human, but just… stuck, I guess you could say, in this body."

"So…" Towa still seemed a bit confused. "You're completely human, and yet you're a wolf?"

"Unfortunately, that's the easiest way to explain it," I sighed. Just then, Emiko walked back into the room with bandages, salve, and just about anything else you might be able to find in a first aid kit, as well as a bucket of water and several rags. "Miss Emiko…" I said, "Not that I have any right to question you…" I suddenly felt very tired after recounting my adventures to Towa. "But isn't that a bit… much?"

"No, no!" Emiko said brightly. "Besides, you've got mud and leaves and _branches _stuck in those paws of yours, we'll just have to dig most of that stuff out! And you'll probably need stitches…" She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Yes, I think so. I'm going to run upstairs really quick Towa, I'll be right back!" She dashed off.

"Towa," I said, "I want to be unconscious by the time Emiko gets back here. Is that possible?" Towa, now back in her human form, shrugged and smiled. Odd… since when had there been three Towa's?

"Rue, I think you'll be asleep by then… just close your eyes." I sighed. Towa was probably right… And I was really tired… I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting away into the realms of dreams.

…

AN: I tried to make the ending a little more light-hearted than the rest of the chapter, if only because I've been writing a lot of darker stuff and needed a break. I hope you don't mind. And Emiko seems like the kind of person who could be all bright and peppy while listing off a bunch of injuries, don't you think? Please read and review!

Because the little blue button gets lonely if it isn't clicked. THINK ABOUT THE BUTTON!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Disclaimer: There are many, many things I do not own. A personal laptop, curling iron, and DN Angel are amongst those many, many, _many_ things.

…

When I awoke, Towa and Emiko were gone and Satoshi was sitting on the couch. I blinked in surprise; then sat up. "Erm…" I wasn't really sure how to address him, seeing as how he was a prince and all. His icy blue hair shone in the light of a sunbeam that seemed to be reserved just for him, and his eyes glittered like chips of ice, though not in an unfriendly way. His wings (folded loosely at his back) cast rainbows onto the walls, just as they had the day he had gotten them. It was hard to believe I had been turned into a wolf, lost my uncle and the only home I had ever known, and met him and Krad only the day before yesterday. It was just so perfect.

"Welcome to Algernon, Rue," he said. "I hope you're feeling better?" He didn't act any more like a prince than he had when I had met him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and seemed completely comfortable in this house as he would anywhere else.

"Quite a bit better," I said, then paused. How was I supposed to continue? Satoshi? Prince? Prince Satoshi? Sato? "Thank you for asking… um… I was wondering how I should address you." The question slipped from my mouth before I could stop it. Satoshi smiled slightly.

"What have you always called me?" He asked gently, his eyes shining brighter.

"Satoshi," I said, "But surely you want me to call you something more respectful?" Now he laughed.

"Call me Satoshi. I don't know what Krad'll say, but you don't have to worry about being formal with me." He continued, and his voice became bitter. "I'll never be more than a prince, and I hate the title." I stood up shakily and shoved my nose against his hand. I don't really know what it was supposed to say, if it was 'don't say that' or 'I'm sorry' or 'I love you', but he traced his hand underneath my jaw and absentmindedly stroked my ears. "Speaking of my brother, that's why I'm here. He wants to see you. Can you walk?"

"Well enough, thanks to Emiko and Towa," I replied. "Where are they?"

"I requested that they give us a few moments alone," he said. "Krad is the paranoid one, after all." I pulled my lips back in a grin. "I'll give you a few moments to say thank you, but Krad'll be expecting us back soon…"

"Will I not be coming back?" I asked, troubled.

"You'll come to court," Satoshi answered, "I think you'll get to live here if you want, but our father might want you… somewhere else." I was pretty certain I didn't want to know where 'somewhere else' was. But I nodded all the same and stood up, testing my paws more fully. I crouched down low, and leapt up, landing hard. Nothing. No pain at all. I smiled to myself, and then at Satoshi. He grinned back at me, and then stood up.

"I'll be outside," he said. "Don't take long." I nodded, and he walked out. I studied his wings as he left. They folded against each other, forming an elongated heart of crystal feathers down his back. I wondered if those wings were as fragile as the crystal they resembled. I also briefly wondered how my uncle had given them to him; if it had been a mutation or grafting or something I had never heard of. But the thoughts slipped from my mind as I heard footsteps.

Towa was grinning at me. "Hey, Rue," she said. I grinned at her.

"Hey," I replied. I had an odd feeling about something here…

"Rue, I wish you the best of luck at court and I hope I see you tonight… Emiko wishes you the same, but she's trying to keep Harlem in the kitchen; he's about ready to tear your throat out."

"Who?" I asked, suddenly very over aware of my surroundings.

"Harlem," Towa said again. "Dark's warhound. He's a huge, black and silver thing, vicious when he needs to be." I shivered.

"Towa," I asked quietly, "I still don't think I understand what warhounds are." She gazed at me for a long moment.

"Fighting hounds Rue," she said softly. "Huge, vicious, fighting hounds." Her jade-green eyes glittered sadly as she stroked my head. "I'm sure you'll be fine." She hugged me and stood up. "You should go now. I'm sure I'll see you tonight." She gave me a grin and jogged back to the kitchen. I almost whimpered. Dark had said I would have made a good warhound. I didn't think I would. I doubted Dark had known what he was talking about. I doubted Dark had more than half a brain. I couldn't get Towa's happy grin out of my face.

I didn't want to leave. But the snarling that came from the kitchen convinced me otherwise. I called a quick 'goodbye' to Emiko and slipped out of the front door. I was shaking. When I stepped outside, the earthy smell assailed my nostrils and I almost cried. It hurt. It physically; mentally hurt. I was hit with a wave of homesickness so hard that I almost fell over. I whimpered again. "Rue?" Satoshi asked carefully.

"I'm scared," I replied. I felt that the explanation was unneeded, but it seemed to take Satoshi by surprise.

"You look furious," he said. "Just try to relax, okay?" I didn't think I would be able to, but I nodded. Satoshi ruffled the fur between my ears fondly and walked off. I followed.

"Satoshi!" I jumped, then crouched and snarled; my ears pinned against my head, tense at the voice that had caught me by surprise. But it was only Daisuke, jogging up the path that led to the door, a small bundle of white held in his arms. Satoshi smiled at him; a smile that was both friendly and tired. "Hey Rue! Look, I found Wiz!" I bared my teeth at the ball of white cradled in Daisuke's arms in a smile, and it 'kyuued' softly and blinked its ruby eyes. Daisuke ruffled its fur fondly.

"We must be going," Satoshi said quietly. "My brother will be expecting the two of us."

"Oh," Daisuke said, "Of course. I'll see you later then!" He looked a bit disappointed, but quickly jogged inside anyway, Wiz now 'kyuuing' on his shoulder. Satoshi and I walked off in the opposite direction, and I couldn't help but glance back at the redhead.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Satoshi said. "It's considered bad luck to look over your shoulder here." I blinked.

"I thought you didn't believe things like that?" I asked cautiously. Satoshi didn't look at me as he answered, though I continued to study his crystal-like wings.

"One of my uncles glanced back during a retreat," Satoshi said, "And an arrow went through his skull. I have never once looked behind me." I felt ill as I trod down the dusty path, wishing I could run through a creek or get some of this dust off of my fur before I had to go see his parents. A brown horse hitched to a cart trotted past us; its driver tipping his hat to Satoshi as he rambled by. Satoshi nodded briefly back at him, and then turned his attention to me. "I suppose I'm covered in dust?" He asked, and I nodded.

"I am too, I would think," I said honestly. He smiled.

"A couple of dusty old travelers, aren't we Rue?" He shook his head sadly and ruffled his wings. I was amazed that no one had given us a second glance, but looking around, I realized that the cart that had passed us earlier had been the only sign of life on the streets. It was almost noon, and the sun was high in the sky, where there were only thin wisps of clouds and birds.

"Where is everybody?" I asked. Satoshi didn't reply. "Satoshi?" Still, nothing. He didn't even look at me this time, and I felt something snap in me. "Fine then," I said quietly. "Never mind." And the rest of our walk was spent in silence.

…

I endured the horrible silence for the rest of the walk to the castle, and even beyond. But I couldn't help but gasp slightly as the first towers of the palace came into sight. Two flags, one of ice blue, the other of pale gold, practically glowed in the sunlight, and as we got closer, I could hear the sound of running water. "Satoshi…" I tried again, "Please say something."

"It's beautiful," he replied gently, "Isn't it?" We stepped through a large stone archway into what I guessed was a courtyard, and I saw the source of the running water. A fountain that appeared to be made of marble shot a tall jet of crystal clear water high into the sky, where it cascaded down in diamond-like droplets that caught the sun's dying light and cast rainbows on the stone walls that now surrounded us, just the way Satoshi's wings did, before splashing into a large basin that probably deeper than I was tall. I heard hoofbeats from a distance away, and pricked up my ears, too entranced by the falling water to look around.

"Hello Krad," Satoshi said quietly, snapping me out of my stupor. I glanced to my right and saw four grayish hooves, attached to four white legs, attached to the snowiest, whitest stallion I had ever seen. Its mouth dripped foam as it champed on its bit, and steam rolled out of its pinkish nose. It looked at me warily through a silver faceplate, stamping at the ground and snorting as its tail swished about like a cloud.

Krad sat astride the horse in a black leather saddle that was accented in silver, and held a pair of golden-colored reins loosely in one hand. "Hello Satoshi," he said, his eyes sparkling, "Hello Rue. I figured my parents would like to see us coming home in more than peasants rags, dearest brother," (here Satoshi flinched), "So I asked them for some time for them to organize the court."

"Well then, I'll be off," Satoshi said (rather harshly, I thought). "Tell them to get Quark saddled for me; I think I'll go riding as well." Krad nodded and wheeled his horse around.

"Of course," he said. "Come on Rue, I'll give you a tour." He dug his heels into the horse's flanks, and it leapt forward. Without a second thought, I ran after it, keeping pace almost easily.

I thought about Satoshi, but I didn't look back. My tongue lolled out of my mouth, and I could hear people gasping and pointing as Krad and I passed them, but I didn't look around. I didn't dare.

…

AN: Wow… this is so overdue it's painful. I hope it was worth the wait… Review?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel, or a castle… but I wish I did.

AN: Double digits! That always feels special… thank you all who have read and reviewed!

**…**

When Krad finally reined in his horse, I skidded to a stop beside him, panting. The white stallion was dripping foam onto the flagstones, and shied away from me a bit. Krad sighed. "Forgive him. Alai isn't fond of wolves." A horse named Alai. Another named Quark. How many other odd names were going to come to my attention in this land? Apparently many, as I soon discovered.

A young boy, certainly no older than twelve or so, and probably only eleven, dashed out of the stables we were standing in front of and bowed low, keeping, I noticed, a wary eye on me. He had shaggy brown hair with an odd green tint to it, and wore a baggy shirt, overalls, and a large floppy cap, which he removed as he bowed. He was barefoot. "Prince Krad," he said happily. I took it that the royal family was well liked here. "It is a pleasure to see you back here…" he had looked up at Krad, and something flickered on his face; surprise.

"Saddle Quark," Krad snapped, and I realized he had seen the look on the boy's face as well. The boy bowed low again, and stuttering an apology, dashed back into the dark, musty-smelling building. I rather wanted to follow him, but I had a feeling that would be a bad idea. I didn't want to get chased out of the place followed by horseshoes and maybe a horse or two; not now. "They might be a minute…"

"Who was that?" I asked. Krad shook his head.

"If I even wanted to pretend to know everyone's names," he said, "I'd have to carry around a memo book." I laughed, but I felt rather ill. How many people were here? Why did they look at me like I was diseased? I asked Krad, half fearing the answer.

He was silent for a long moment. Then, in a hesitant voice, he said: "It's because of the Hunt. The Wolf Hunt." I stared at him. "Rue, listen to me. It's a tradition from ages ago; a royal tradition. Alai and Quark are both Hunt horses." I would have said more; asked more; but then, the young stable boy led Quark out. I did a double-take.

Quark was blue. I later learned the coloring was called 'blue roan', but at the moment, I was too stunned to even ask. The horse (the _blue_ horse) was wearing a brown leather saddle, silver-toned reins, and a gleaming gold faceplate. His hooves were shining black, as though they'd been polished, and the silver horseshoes gleamed as well. He stood there, staring at Krad and Alai and I, fidgeting with the bit in his mouth; twitching his ears back and forth. Alai snorted. Quark nickered softly, and with a start, I realized I was able to understand their basic conversation.

_We aren't to hurt it, _Alai said.

_Why would I? It stands next to you and lives; I could do nothing to it. _Quark's reply was quick, and a bit sarcastic, I thought. I grinned and decided I like Quark.

_The other beasts are hunted, _Alai said. _But Master doesn't let me try to kill this one. _He stamped the hoof closest to me; it clattered against the cobblestone. Quark whinnied and threw his head up, pulling the reins out of the stable boy's hand. He caught them again quickly, and most certainly apologized to Krad, but I didn't hear it. I was still in shock.

The Wolf Hunt. I sat down on the ground. Then I flopped onto my stomach. I felt ill. The Wolf Hunt. They killed us for _tradition. _Wolves like Raiden and Odessa, like that red-furred wolf with her twisted paw. They killed us. What were they going to do to me? What would happen to me?

"What…?" I whimpered; then put my paws over my muzzle. Krad did not hear me, and therefore did not answer.

I stayed like this for several minutes, until I heard footsteps on the cobblestone and the stable boy exclaim: "Prince Satoshi!"

"At ease Warren," he said gently. The boy relaxed at once. I pricked my ears forward. So Satoshi knew this boy? I sat up slowly, swiveling my ears around. All I could hear were the sounds of horses. I stared at Satoshi's feet. He was wearing shoes. And spurs. "Rue," he said, "I'd like you to meet Warren, my page." The term puzzled me, but I stood up and trotted over to the boy. "Warren, this is Rue." I nosed the boy's hand, and he scratched my ears. Then I glanced over at Satoshi.

He still seemed to be dressed casually, in a loose fitting black shirt (or maybe it was too big for him?) with silver crosses on the shoulders, and black pants. His wings glittered in an almost fiery contrast to his black clothing, and his blue eyes held a steady sort of defiance in them as he looked at his brother. He calmly took Quark's reins from Warren's hands, and leapt into the saddle. "You've been practicing while I was away, I take it?" Warren nodded. "And Luke has been doing well?"

"He's broke now sir," Warren said, "at least, it looks like he's finally used to the saddle. But he's still too jumpy for any of the swords or fencing practice." I guessed that Luke was this boy's horse.

"That's good," Satoshi said, "that's fine. I'll be around after dinner to look at him, if you'll let me." He did not act at all like a prince. He talked to this boy, a peasant at least three years younger than himself, as though they were equals. I guessed that was a reason behind some of the tension that sometimes appeared between him and Krad.

"Of course," Warren replied, "I'll have him saddled and ready to go." He bowed again, and Satoshi and Krad set off at an easy trot now. The stable boy gave me one last scratch behind my ears, and then I bounded after the horses.

"Rue," Krad said as I neared him, "I would imagine that you've heard the term warhound enough now to know what one is… and that that is what you now are." I felt annoyed.

"Don't tell me what I am or not," I said, "you don't own me." Krad shrugged.

"True enough," he said. "Would you _like _to be a warhound?" I didn't like his tone of voice. It was dangerous; quiet.

"I think you'll only let me say one thing," I said. Alai snorted uneasily. "So, I'll say yes. But I'll live with Daisuke and his family, not in some damned royal kennel."

"Watch how you speak to me," Krad snapped. I snarled at him, at those mad cat-eyes that had once been soft amber. And I did not speak to him again as we went towards the palace.

As we neared the courtyard and the fountain again, the horses walking almost in step, I saw someone I had never wanted to see again.

"Krad!" It was Lyra, who was now seemingly overjoyed to see him. Her hair was shining in the now evening light, and the (_blood red) _crimson gown she wore now made me think she was a different person.

At least, until she used me as a springboard to jump onto Alai's back. I felt my legs –all four of them –buckle. I felt like I had just fallen about fifty feet. I'd had the wind knocked out of me and was almost certain my right hind leg was in splinters. "Lyra, I think you've killed her." Krad's voice was easy, almost careless, but I detected a harsh note beneath it. That note gave me just enough strength to push myself onto my feet.

"Don't worry about it Krad," Lyra said. "See, it's fine. Besides, there are plenty of others." I realized she was talking about me, and I snarled. "What's wrong puppy," she asked mockingly, "lost your voice?" I started seeing red again.

"Rue," Satoshi said quietly. Instantly, the red vanished from my vision. "Come here a moment." My leg, contrary to what I had though before, was not broken. Quark shied away from me a bit, but then stood still. His ears swiveled a bit, and his brown eyes watched me like a hawk's through the golden faceplate, but he didn't move. "Krad, is it okay if we're a bit late?"

"No," Krad replied. "So if you're looking for armor, hurry." Satoshi sighed and turned Quark around. I followed, having absolutely no idea what either of them was talking about. Quark stirred himself into a canter, and I ran beside him. His hoofbeats were like a fast waltz: _one two three one two three… _Then Satoshi slowed down in front of a low-set brick building.

"Our armory," he said, dismounting and tying Quark's reins securely to a horizontal wooden post tied to a rope. "Most of it is underground." I nodded, and followed him in. It was dark and dusty, and smelled rather like mildew. Satoshi hit something on the wall, and lights flickered on.

"Oh," I gasped. Everything was sparkling, metals of all colors and jewels of every kind there was. "You said most of it was underground?" Satoshi smiled.

"Yep. C'mon, I'll show you. First things first –we've got to get Hanone." I had almost forgotten about the sword I'd found at the laboratory –at home. It was hard thinking of it like that now. The laboratory was about as close to home as the moon was to me.

The mildew smell came from the bales of hay much of the armor in the main room was stacked on. The lights glowed with a reddish-orange glow, unlike the fluorescents I had seen all my life, as though they were candles. It created a peaceful and somewhat mysterious aura in the room as I followed Satoshi through a door into another chamber.

This one was filled with weapons. I saw longswords, rapiers, crossbows, knives, daggers, maces, and many things I couldn't describe. And, of course, I saw Hanone, sitting on a pair of hooks that I thought looked horribly like the lower halves of two wolves' jawbones. Satoshi took it down from its spot on the wall, but didn't hand it to me. "Do you mind if I carry it?" He asked, "That way we can talk."

"No, it's fine," I replied. "Thank you." He smiled, grabbing a bow and a quiver of arrows as he turned around.

"Hey," he said as he went back to the main room with me on his heels, "I'm sorry I didn't answer you when we were walking. It's just that… I don't really know what happened, but I just got this… almost an urge, I guess, to… to kill. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It happens to all of us," I replied. "Besides, I know I can get pretty annoying sometimes." I had forgotten exactly what I had said during our walk, but I figured it was my fault. Satoshi smiled, but he didn't seem satisfied with my answer. His wings glimmered in the glowing light as he opened another door, this one leading to a flight of stairs that went down. We descended into darkness, until I began relying on my ears to determine where Satoshi was.

"It gets pretty dark here," Satoshi said, "because we try to make anyone who comes in here without knowing what's on the other end think that it's just a tunnel. Personally, I'd just bar up the door and get rid of this… but my opinion is next to nothing in court."

"Why not?" I asked, "Aren't you a prince?" Satoshi laughed bitterly.

"In title only," he said, "in truth, I'm a knight. Warren, as you heard before, is my page." He seemed to realize I still had no clue what a page was. "My apprentice," he explained. "Here, we're almost through." Sure enough, I could see a faint movement to my left that was Satoshi. It was getting lighter. A few seconds later, I felt my paws hit earth instead of wooden stair, and soon, the two of us stood in a dim room. I could see metal glinting gently around me, but nothing else until Satoshi flicked the lights on. I gasped.

All around me stood armor in silver and gold, steel and iron, set with rubies and emeralds and diamonds and so many other gems I won't begin to describe them to you. Some were plain, and these were the ones Satoshi went for first.

"The first thing you'll want is plate armor," he said, "we don't actually use chainmail with warhounds because it tends to slow them down too much." I followed him, still in awe of everything around me. The plate armor, as Satoshi called it, consisted of several sheets of metal that were hooked together with strong metal links. I nosed at them, scanning over the ones that I didn't like, until a sparkle caught my eye.

It was plate armor of polished silvery steel, very plain and very beautiful. "How about this?" I asked Satoshi cautiously. He looked at it, then set Hanone down and picked it up.

"This…" he smiled. "It suits you. Here." He picked it up and placed it gently on my back. My legs almost buckled. "I forgot to mention… it's heavy." The plate armor draped from the base of my neck to the tip of my tail, and covered my shoulders and hips. It must have weighed thirty pounds.

"I noticed," I grumbled, readjusting my position so that the weight was more evenly spread. "So what's next?"

"Hold still for a sec," Satoshi replied. I began to notice that he used more slang when he wasn't around Krad. "I want you to tell me if this is too tight, okay?" He reached under my chest to where a leather strap swung in the air. It felt about two inches wide, and when it was hooked to the other side of the armor, it was snug but didn't restrict my breathing. Then he fastened another strap, even wider, across my belly. I knew instantly that I wouldn't be able to defeat any warhounds the same way I had defeated Raiden.

I swished my tail as he stood up, and grinned. "Feels fine," I growled, "thanks." He grinned at me, and turned again.

"Don't move," he said, "I'll be right back." He dashed off, and I could hear a sort of dull clanking sound coming from the direction he'd run towards. Only a few moments later, he returned carrying two pieces of metal that were curved in slightly, and I assumed would go on my front legs. I was right.

"They're a perfect fit," I said, surprised. "Is that… odd?" Satoshi shook his head.

"Nah," he replied, buckling them onto my legs with yet more leather straps, "most of the warhounds have about the same length legs, so this is about the length the metal smiths make them." I nodded, examining the sheets of metal. They were the same silvery color as the armor I wore, and had a scrolling pattern running up the front. At the top there was what looked like a crest –two wings crossed over a sword with its point facing up. I had plenty of room to move my shoulders and ankles comfortably, and the metal of the armor seemed to rustle when I turned. I felt like a different person –a different wolf. Or maybe, a new warhound.

"So what's next?" I asked, honestly curious now (not that I hadn't cared at first).

"Next," Satoshi said, "and last, you need a helmet." I felt my ears shiver, which I would later learn was a sign of excitement to me. "Follow me; I've already got a few ideas, but since it's supposed to be personal… it's your choice." I followed him through an unbarred archway as he spoke, ready to have my breath taken away once again.

I was not disappointed. Satoshi plucked a bright silver-colored helmet from its stand as he walked in, and explained, "You'll have two helmets: one for actual fighting, which I hope you never wear," he indicated the one he held in his hands, "and another, which will be used for ceremonies and other special occasions." He indicated the easily three hundred other helmets that sat in the room, and I slowly began examining each one. The first one that caught my eye was solid gold and set with diamonds, sparkling in the light. It did not seem to be anything other than beautiful though, and I walked on. Another piece of beauty I saw was a black-colored metal helmet set with dozens of tiny emeralds that glowed like dots of poison. But sitting next to it was something that dragged my eyes away completely.

This helmet was silver, and set with hundreds of tiny sapphires that covered the surface completely, like fish scales. It had two slits for my ears, and reached over my muzzle, leaving a large gash for my eyes. The only spot that wasn't covered in jewels was the small piece that went over the bridge of my nose.

"I think I've found it," I said softly. Satoshi walked over and smiled.

"Krad will hate that you've chosen my colors," he said quietly, picking it up and placing it gently on my head. The helmet was open on the bottom so that my jaw was free for biting, and in my case, speaking as well.

"And I'll wear them proudly," I answered.

**…**

AN: I cannot apologize enough for how late this is. Please forgive me, and please review!

Also, a note to those of you who are following any of my other stories: please check my profile to see what I'm planning on updating this week (since I'm too lazy to type out all of the titles)! I'm not dead yet!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Disclaimer: I lay no claim to DN Angel. I also am sure that I don't own this computer.

…

As Satoshi and I dashed back towards the palace, Satoshi was nearly running poor Quark into the ground, occasionally whipping him with the flat of one of Hanone's twin blades. I was creating an unearthly racket in my new armor, but I grew aware of people walking in the streets, pausing and even staring outright as we ran past. I thought bitterly of what they must think of us.

'_A couple of dusty old travelers, aren't we Rue?' _Satoshi had asked me that before, but now he was a prince again; the prince who was a knight. Now I was not just a wolf that walked beside him, but a warhound that ran in armor, ready to fight and defend, though where I was running to now was still a vague concept in my mind.

The dash back to the castle didn't take as long as it had to get to the armory, because it was a shorter distance, but I was much more out of breath because of the weight of the armor and the exhaustion of the previous run catching up to me. I murmured something nonsensical to myself, something I cannot even remember now, as I gasped and panted for breath. I felt as though my tongue was hanging two feet out of my mouth, and my lungs were simultaneously collapsing and bursting at the same time.

"C'mon Rue," Satoshi snapped, squaring his shoulders and tossing Hanone to me. Despite the fact that I was still breathing heavily, I snatched the sword before it could touch the ground. "I suppose it's time I introduce you to my parents." Still sitting astride Quark, he led me through the gates and into the tall, glittering, picturesque castle.

As we walked through the courtyard, Quark picking up a light and easy jog, we encountered several people. They bowed and curtsied to Satoshi, and glanced at me not in a threatening matter, but in a way that told me I would be a curiosity for a good while. We passed the fountain that I had been transfixed by earlier, but now the sun had shifted and what fell from the fountain's head now was not diamonds, but a spray of water. I passed it by without a second glance and followed Quark as he continued to prance forward on the cobblestone. I held Hanone like a dog bringing a stick to its master, and I felt both foolish and prideful at the same time.

We passed through the courtyard, and Satoshi dismounted in front of an intimidating, large archway that was guarded by a heavy-looking oak door and two guards. They both bowed their heads to the prince, and one stepped forward to take Quark's bridle. To my amusement, the horse stretched its neck out and licked the aforementioned man. Satoshi laughed, as did the guard.

"Still remember me, do you?" The man asked, "Well, that's fine by me," he paused and pulled a half of an apple out of nowhere. "Welcome back Satoshi." The prince smiled and nodded, and we continued in as the doors opened.

"That was Kailaar," Satoshi said. "He raised Quark, and I was his page." I nodded, only half listening. I was gawking at everything around me, in utter shock at what I saw.

I assumed that this was only the entrance, and yet it was bigger than any indoor space I had ever imagined. The ceiling must have been the size of my uncle's laboratory stood up on its side, and easily twice as long. The floor was stone, but a thick, plush red carpet marked out our path. Satoshi walked confidently on, and I followed half a step behind.

"Satoshi," I whispered, "how am I supposed to act?" He took Hanone from me, and idly shifted it from hand to hand as he continued to walk.

"Like a warhound," Satoshi replied, "like you're proud, and confident, and unafraid." I growled an affirmative, and we continued walking. The entranceway closed into a narrow hall, lined with portraits of those who I guessed were past rulers. The portraits of kings sat on the left-side walls, and their queen's portraits were on the right, facing them. In some places, I noticed, there was only a king, and in one or two places, only a queen. Would Krad and Lyra someday be on that wall? It was strange to think of that ever happening, and I quickly shut the thought from my mind. We were nearing the end of the hall anyway.

At the end of the long hallway (it wasn't quite long enough for me to think of it as a corridor) there stood a bronze statue of a man. He stood with an easygoing posture that reminded me of Satoshi, but his eyes, even in the statue, held an intensity that even Krad didn't posses. However, his hair was long, sweeping just past his shoulders, and I figured that this man must have been the first king of Algernon.

"The first Hikari," Satoshi said. "We don't know how he came to be here; if he conquered this kingdom or created it with his bare hands, but his family – our family – has ruled this land for centuries. His name, as is our kingdom's name, was Algernon." We both gazed at the statue for a bit longer, and then Satoshi beckoned me away. Just to the statue's right was another large door, though it was nowhere near as large as the one that guarded the main entrance. Two men stood at attention to the left and the right, the one on the left wearing an assortment of shades of gold and carrying what seemed to be a bugle or a trumpet. The man on the right wore black, with hints of blue and sparks of silver. The way he was dressed resembled, to me, a river.

The man in gold swung the door open without speaking, and put the trumpet to his lips, ready to play a fanfare. "Don't bother," Satoshi snapped. "Our presence won't need announcing… not today." The man seemed almost insulted, but stepped aside smartly. Satoshi led me in.

The courtroom was larger than the entrance had been, and the distance from the door to the thrones was longer than the hall Satoshi and I had just walked down. My eyes, as I have probably said before, were nowhere as good as they once were, and I could only make out the thrones as indistinct (yet still large) shapes. A quiet whispering began filling the hall as we walked in, and the two words that were most prevalent were 'wings' and 'wolf'. The noble men and women of Algernon obviously hadn't expected this. They stood there, in their expensive, tasteful clothing, the ladies with their blonde and brown hair artfully pinned up, the men with their hats, feathered with all colors from bright green to blood red, and they whispered about wings and wolves and warhounds as I followed Satoshi.

I knew right then that I would never be mistaken as a warhound. So I did not act like one. I trotted attentively next to Satoshi as he walked down the aisle, turning my head around to get a better view of my surroundings, hearing people go silent as we passed only to continue whispering as we moved on. People whispering of wolves and warhounds and wings and now, whispers of the two poor princes who had been so horribly torn away from their kingdom, finally come home. I wondered what they had thought of Krad's eyes.

As we neared the thrones, I was able to make out the king and queen. The king sat to my left on a handsomely carved throne of gold that reminded me faintly of the throne of Zeus. It was beautifully detailed, with scrollwork running up and down the sides, and several dark blue sapphires were set in it. The throne itself was cushioned with red velvet. The king looked like an older version of Krad, though maybe slightly more thickset. He had shorter hair that was a darker shade of blonde, but his eyes were the same warm amber that Krad's had once been, and his face was one that had obviously seen the elements, and experienced them at their worst. There were crinkles around his eyes that said he smiled often. He was dressed almost casually, a simple black cape (I had the strangest sense that there would be a silver cross on the back of it) and a maroon robe. A sword sat by his throne, but it did not seem to have been used in quite some time. Even the crown he wore was simple: A thick band of (you guessed it) gold, set with several rubies in the front. A tawny falcon was perched on his shoulder, and it glared at me with one fierce yellow eye.

The queen, on the other hand, was much different. Her hair was so blonde it seemed white, and she wore a pale blue dress that beautifully accentuated her startlingly blue eyes. Her skin was so pale it could almost be transparent, and the crown she wore was a simple band of silver, set with one sapphire in the center. I realized at once that I may have chosen Satoshi's colors for my armor, but I had also chosen his mother's. She was so thin that she seemed ready to disappear at a moment's notice, but in my eyes she was not starved or emaciated. The throne she sat on was smaller than the king's, and less intimidating. It had a scrolling pattern around the edges, and the scrollwork framed a silver surface that was so smooth one could use it as a mirror. She was seated on a white cushion.

The next thing I noticed was a man standing behind and between the two thrones. He had spiky dark hair, and kind brown eyes that were fixed on Satoshi and me as we continued down the aisle. He wore a loose, long sleeved shirt that was a rather nice shade of light brown, and pants that were lightly darker. I didn't really notice what shoes he was wearing; his feet were hidden by a large podium that held a huge book: whether it was for records or a bible of some sort was beyond my guessing. I wondered if this was Daisuke's father, the advisor of the king. Whoever he was, he seemed to be a friendly face.

Satoshi and I reached the thrones. The moment we did, the entire court went absolutely silent. So silent I could hear the beat of Satoshi's heart next to me with my new ears. It was rather quick, I thought, and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was. I didn't see why he should be; this was his kingdom, what did he have to fear?

"Mother," he said, bowing first to the queen, "father. It is a pleasure to be back." As fast as his heart may have been beating, outwardly he was as cool as a winter night.

"You act," the queen said quietly, "as though it was not you who so foolishly ran away." Her eyes glittered with coldness, but her voice was warm and soft, and it was obvious she was just relieved he was home. "And it seems you have brought… a friend." She looked at me, and her eyes warmed. She allowed a smile to touch her lips. She said nothing about Satoshi's wings, nor had she looked surprised when she saw them. I wondered if Lyra had told them about the laboratory.

"Yes," Satoshi replied. I wondered why the king had not spoken yet, but I figured it was not worth thinking about. He would speak when he spoke. "She's quite intelligent… say hello Rue." I stared at the blue-haired prince in bewilderment for a moment, but he nodded at me encouragingly.

I looked at both of them, wondered if I should bow, or kneel but quickly dismissed the idea, and spoke. "Hello, your majesties. It has been a pleasure to be so welcomed to such a beautiful kingdom." _Shame that it's going to such a horrid queen, _I finished in my head.

In a moment, the whispering had started again. The two royals who sat in front of me appeared stunned. I couldn't think of anything else to say, and so stayed silent. Satoshi, stoic as ever, just ruffled his wings in annoyance at the whispering, but said nothing.

The whispering went on for quite a time, until a loud trumpet fanfare stopped everyone's voice. Everyone turned as the man in the gold moved his trumpet away from his lips, and called out loudly, "Prince Krad Hikari of Algernon and Princess Lyra Saga of Ariston, escorted by Chief of Guards, Dark Niwa." I twitched one of my lips in annoyance. Hadn't Krad been the one who had preached about being on time? Finally, I turned with Satoshi to watch the two walk towards us, Dark about ten paces ahead.

Both of the two were dressed the same as they had been when I last saw them, but something about them was most certainly different. They did not look as though they hated each other. They walked down the aisle, arm in arm, Lyra looking sweet and calm and, I must admit, beautiful, with her hair pinned up like the noblewomen and accented with diamond encrusted hair clips. Krad had done very little with his hair. He had tied a beautiful golden cross into the ends of the long ponytail he wore, but other than that looked exactly the same as he had when Satoshi and I had departed, and as Dark passed us, Satoshi handed him Hanone.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"No problem," Satoshi replied quietly. Then he glanced down at me. "He's always forgetting to carry a sword," he whispered. "Says they're too loud." I grinned.

As Krad and Lyra drew closer, Satoshi stepped over to one side, and motioned for me to follow him. In a flash, I darted over to him and sat by his side. He absentmindedly rapped a steady cadence onto my helmet as Krad and Lyra said their hellos, or whatever I was supposed to call their generic greetings. They sounded almost identical to Satoshi's, and in fact, Krad's was. But this time, it was the king who spoke.

"Krad," he said, and his voice was actually quite warm, "you foolishly abandoned your kingdom and your people, and now look at what has happened to you, you and your brother." Krad blinked, and Satoshi ruffled his wings.

With the king's rebuke (could it even be called that?) over, Lyra gave a small curtsy and spoke. "King Hayato, Queen Rio, I am pleased to inform you that my half of the plan was carried out with more than accurate precision." Suddenly, I felt ill. Satoshi stopped rapping on my helmet. The entire court went entirely silent, and I listened to Satoshi's heart beating. _Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud._

"Lyra," Hayato, said, "I am pleased to hear this. But when you first arrived, you acted as though something had gone wrong." My stomach clenched. The falcon on the king's shoulder turned its head and looked, again, directly at me with one savage yellow eye.

Dark stepped forward, and bowed low. "Something did. Rue Hiwatari is standing amongst us as we speak." His eyes glittered as he straightened up, his violet hair falling into them as they shone, full of… was that mischief?

It was Rio who caught on first, Hayato only a moment later. "Dark," the king said quietly, "get Harlem." His warhound? Why would he want Dark's warhound?

"Of course," Dark said, "of course… your majesty…" Sounding strangely reluctant, Dark departed with a final small bow.

"That is probably the wisest decision," Lyra said, her voice filled with approval. "The creature is quite dangerous, and tried to attack me several times." She rolled up the right sleeve of her gown just slightly, to show several scratches –the only wounds I had managed to give her.

"One would be quite upset," Krad said quietly, "if one's uncle, or any living relation, was killed in front of one's eyes Lyra. Rue acted on impulse. I think she displayed extraordinary power, and was thinking of training her as a warhound here."

Lyra opened her mouth to retaliate, but Rio intervened. "Rue," she said, "you have no right to be alive. Dark should have killed you, you know." I nodded. She was absolutely right, and somehow I knew to do anything but nod would be trouble.

"We will see how she holds up against Harlem," Hayato said. "Then we'll see if we need to train her, or kill her." I felt the blood leave my legs and sat down, hard. I tried to get a grip on my breathing. All this time, the man whom I was now almost positive was Daisuke and Dark's father said nothing.

"Come on Rue," Satoshi said quietly. He was already walking by the time I stood up, and I paced after him; tail low and head level with my shoulders. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

As we walked outside, I looked up at the sky. The stars, rather blurry but still just as bright, shone strongly like diamonds surrounding the beautiful crescent moon. The night sky just then could have been recreated with diamonds and dark blue velvet, and a strangely cut opal as the moon.

"C'mon," Satoshi said again. "Follow me." I followed him past the fountain, which still ran as it had the first moment I'd seen it, out of the castle, but the streets were now empty as we left the grounds. I realized that we were walking toward the stables. I remembered Warren, Satoshi's page. "Warren!" Satoshi called as if reading my mind, "Warren, where are you?" The stables were in sight; a dark blob against the black of night.

"I-" Warren's voice was cut off by a heavy yawn, "I'm right here Prince Satoshi." He trotted into sight, saw that the prince was not with his brother, and grinned. "I thought you'd forgotten about me." He smiled, and Satoshi grinned back.

"I presume Krad and I missed dinner. Our appointment with the court set us back… and still is, quite a bit." Warren looked troubled. Satoshi only sighed and shook his head. "Bring Luke out here, if you would. Don't saddle him, just take his blanket off." The boy nodded and darted back inside. "Rue, you come with me." With that, he walked into the stables himself. I followed.

I was instantly enveloped in the sweet dusty smells of the hay and straw, and the strange and tempting (what? I was a carnivore now) smell of the horses. Each horse had a stall of about ten feet by ten feet, and probably twenty feet high. I saw none of them, and assumed they were all sleeping. It was a feasible assumption; I would have rather been asleep myself. Satoshi and I walked through the stables without hearing a sound, and then he led me through another door towards the back.

Cool night air swept against my face, but Satoshi didn't stop for an instant. He kept walking, and I began to notice the outlines of pastures as I walked past them. I saw the shapes of horses as they slept, laying down with their necks stretched out, and it filled me with a sense of peace. Wherever we were going, Satoshi knew what he was doing. I was sure of that now. When we finally stopped, we were in front of a large, circular building of some sort. Satoshi undid a series of simple latches, and we stepped inside.

As soon as I was inside the enclosure, I realized it wasn't a building but a fence of some sort; a solid fence that formed a perfect circle. It must have been twenty feet in diameter, but it might have been larger. "Satoshi," I muttered, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go get Luke," Satoshi replied. "I'm going to latch the door, but only because I must. Please don't try to escape. Dark shouldn't come around with Harlem for another half-hour at least." I nodded, and Satoshi walked back out. I heard the latches sliding to hold the door in place, and I suddenly felt horribly, desperately alone. I listened to Satoshi as he walked away, and then lay down. I wondered about Raiden and his pack, about the Niwa family, and about City, The City Dwellers, the Outcasts, and the Frames, what I had once been.

I had never belonged in the City. My hair alone proved that, my attitude only added to what people knew at first glance: I would never have a home there. When my parents had died, not a single one of my relatives would take me in, but for my uncle. The others all died soon enough, one from old age, the rest from the raids that often accompanied a child being sent away. I would have been killed, certainly, if I had been fifteen, but I hadn't even been close. On your fifteenth birthday, you officially became an 'adult'. You were responsible for your own actions, you had to find your own food and shelter, and you could be caught and killed by the Raidsmen. If you did not fit into society's standards, the Raidsmen came for you. Of course, they always came eventually. There were rarely people who died of old age in the City.

The Framelands was a strip of land several miles wide that 'framed' the area between the City and the Forest. It was normally deserted, with the exception of wildlife. It was an area favored by scientists like my uncle, as well as thieves, bandits, and others who were on the wrong side of the blue line, for the sole reason that there were no laws. Anything could happen there.

The Outcasts were always portrayed as wild savages, living in the cruelest of conditions, without shelter, often without food, and always insane. Their way of life was called evil, wrong, disgusting… they were painted in the blackest light possible. But now that I saw them, I realized that this world, their world… my world, was beautiful. At least, most of it was.

I was torn from my thoughts as I heard two pairs of feet walking back towards me, accompanied by a set of hooves. Satoshi and Warren and Luke were here now. I wondered what Satoshi wanted from me. From what I had heard, Luke was a spooky, probably young horse. I tuned in to the conversation between the two humans.

"-I'm going to lead him in." Satoshi said, "You go up to the observation deck and just watch. I don't want to risk your getting hurt, not now."

"Alright," Warren replied. "Be careful though." I could practically see Satoshi nodding. I slid into the shadows, hoping the horse wouldn't notice me as the latches of the door began to open. A moment later, it swung open, revealing the shadowy outlines of the prince and a strong, lean horse.

"Rue," he said, "let Luke see you. He needs to get used to being around warhounds." With that, he undid the rope he was using to lead the horse, and quickly let himself out. The latches clicked shut again.

Luke looked around cautiously, his ears fluttering around, trying to take in all the noise they could at once. His eyes were wide; wide enough for me to see the whites, and his nostrils were flared. His muscles were tensed, and he was ready to spring.

"Rue," I heard Satoshi's voice from somewhere above me. "Rue, go on. He'll spook, but he won't hurt you. At least, I don't think." Satoshi's words did nothing to reassure me, but nonetheless, I stepped out of the shadows.

Luke stared at me. I stared back at him. He was a beautiful yellow color, with a black mane and tail and a black stripe running along his spine. I later learned to call this coloring 'buckskin'. A green halter rested over his nose and behind his ears. I sat down. Luke scattered. I say this because I honestly thought all four of his legs were going different directions.

First he ran around the enclosure several times. Then he reared, bucked, almost hit me in the face with a huge clump of dirt he dug up with his hooves as he galloped around some more, and then skidded to a halt. He stared at me some more. I hadn't moved from my initial spot except to dodge the clump of dirt.

_You won't hurt me? _He asked. He stomped one foot nervously.

'_Can you understand me?' _I growled.

_Somewhat. _Luke's reply was unsteady, and he seemed ready to begin running again.

'_I won't hurt you,' _I began quickly. '_In fact, the warhounds here will not hurt you, nor will the armor, swords, or arrows of this kingdom.' _Luke stared at me. I saw his ears turning, though I thought that it was more from force of habit than anything. _'Can I move without startling you?' _The horse seemed uncertain for a moment, pawing at the ground, and then slowly nodded.

I spent the next fifteen minutes working on not spooking the horse as I moved around in my armor, and by the time I heard the latches moving again, Luke and I were walking side-by-side, discussing the pros and cons of being free and being tame.

Satoshi and Warren stood in the door. Warren walked in, carefully, and hooked the rope back up to Luke's halter. The horse stuck his nose in the boy's hair and the two walked out, master and mastered. Satoshi walked back in.

He walked over to me, knelt in front of me, and scratched my ears. "Rue, I swear you'll get out of this. Harlem's strong, but he runs off instinct. Confuse him." And with that, he stood, brushed the dust off his pants, and walked out.

The latches clicked shut once again.

…

AN: Alright! Seven and a half pages! Longest chapter yet! Please review, and happy Easter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned DN Angel. I really need to think of some clever way to say this…

…

Dark arrived with Harlem in tow only a few minutes later. I heard a group of feet shuffling through the dirt, and a clinking sound I figured was plate armor. There were several pairs of feet ascending the stairs, and I assumed they belonged to Krad, Satoshi, King Hayato and Queen Rio. I didn't bother looking up though, because I knew even though they could see me, they wouldn't help me; wouldn't think anything of my glance toward them but as a plea for help. I did not want them to think of me as weak, especially not now.

I heard the latches opening and felt dread swoop into my stomach. I had the most awful feeling that I would die here; that Krad and Satoshi and the rest of the world would turn their backs as I joined my mother and father and uncle in death. The door swung open yet again, and I prayed that I would live to see it grant me exit from this place.

Dark stood silhouetted in the doorframe. This did not surprise me in the least. I had figured he would release Harlem into the pen, or arena; whichever I was supposed to call it. However, I was a bit stunned by the thickness of the chain attached to the heavy metal collar that was securely _padlocked _around this beast's neck. I shuddered, and again dread raced through my veins. I was going to die here. Harlem was at least twice my size and I was going to _die here._

A low snarl rippled out of Harlem's lungs. He wore a dull coat of armor, and a helmet with a spike sprouting from the forehead that looked to be just as much of a weapon as a decoration. His tail was also draped in a coat of spikes, like a mace. Dark slowly walked in, with Harlem, still snarling, at his heels. I could tell that this creature was doing his very best to remain docile while his master was next to him, but I could also tell that if I made one false move right now, the warhound would not hesitate to do what he thought was right.

Dark pulled a key out of his pocket, knelt down, and carefully unlocked and removed Harlem's collar. It was then that I noticed a very surprising something –Harlem's neck and throat were bare. Was Dark really so confident to leave such an obvious Achilles heel in his precious warhounds armor? But then I realized: my throat was bared too. My armor only touched the base of my neck before stopping.

I heard Dark begin to move again. He stood, brushed the dust off his pants, and walked to the door. He paused, turned, and looked at the two of us for a moment before opening the door and slipping out. For what I was sure was the last time in my life, I heard the latches close. As if on cue, Harlem snarled a loud, horrible, terrifying snarl, baring his teeth. He began to slowly circle and, without thought, I did the same. We slowly paced around each other for a minute that felt like a lifetime, and then, without warning, Harlem leapt at me.

Instantly, without thinking, I snarled, lunged for his throat, and missed by a country mile. My jaw clicked shut painfully, and whirling around the moment my paws touched the dirt, I leapt again. But this jump was even blinder than the last, and felt my helmet tear away from my face. I was choked briefly, and then the straps that kept it in place tore. Harlem threw it toward the wall, and I saw what I thought were dark droplets of blood flying off of it. However, there was no pain to accompany the 'blood', and I realized with a sudden dart of horror that sapphires were _raining _off the metal. But there was no time to think about that, because now that the warhound knew my face was unprotected, he came leaping at me, teeth bared. Not knowing what to do, I dropped and rolled to my right, meaning to spring back up and dash away.

But Harlem was too fast. He switched directions almost in midair, crashed down on my ribcage, knocking the wind of my lungs, and nearly blinded me. Four razor sharp claws tore my face open from ear to muzzle, and I heard myself howl in pain. Half-blinded by my own blood, I bit down hard on Harlem's leg, realizing as I did so that he wasn't wearing the metal guards on his front legs, or back. He reared onto his hind legs, pulling me up with him. I tasted nothing but sweet, metallic blood, and I suddenly began seeing red again.

Releasing Harlem rather reluctantly, I sprung away from him, feeling some sort of instinct guide me. I felt as I had when I had seen Lyra stabbing my uncle –uncontrollable and furious. As I heard Harlem begin to follow me, I leapt toward and rebounded off the nearest section of the wall. This was quite a feat with such heavy armor on, but I managed to land behind him.

Unfortunately, I'd forgotten about the spikes on his tail until they cut the other half of my face open. Harlem whirled around on his hind legs and raised a paw that seemed to be the size of a chessboard up into the air, and I could see his claws glinting in the moonlight. I shuddered, frozen in place by the terror of the sight. I really was going to die; then and there. The huge paw sliced through the night air, and I could feel every muscle in my body tense.

Without thought, I leapt a foot to the right and tore at Harlem's throat with my paws before springing away. I stood there, snarling, for a moment, but then leapt at him again. This time he met me halfway, knocking me aside like I was nothing more than a fly. I noticed with satisfaction that he was bleeding slightly on the side of his throat, until I felt something warm and wet trickling through the fur on my left side. My armor had actually dented when Harlem had leapt on me, and now I was bleeding. Whether it was from the damage to the metal or Harlem taking advantage of that, I didn't know. The gashes on my muzzle and face were beginning to sting from the dirt in them, and I didn't know if I could keep this up. I would have to finish this battle, or be finished in it.

I whirled around and tensed to spring, but then suddenly, something in the back of my mind whispered 'wait'. I looked up, towards where I thought I had heard the voice coming from, and saw two tiny pinpricks of acid green watching me. I stayed tense, but didn't move. Harlem did the same, standing some twenty feet away from me. He was snarling, a deep snarl that seemed to come from the depths of his lungs, and I suddenly decided to listen to him.

"You fool… can you hear me? You cannot fight. I am not allowed."I stared at him, confused.

"I can hear you now," I replied. "I am Rue."

"I am called Harlem,"he snarled. He began circling again, and I followed suit. He seemed to be suddenly less fierce, though his eyes still glowed with raging fury. "My master tells me not to fight you."

"Why would he do that?"I asked, and Harlem snarled deeper in his throat and lunged at me. I met him; we clashed, and he shoved me away, where we continued to circle. I had a feeling that from then on, all the fighting we would do would be only for show while we continued our conversation.

"Because he is a fool. What are you to him?" I shook my head, and continued circling. But there had been something in Harlem's voice…

_Fool… he speaks in lies. Kill him. Now. _I saw what looked like a pair of glowing gold eyes to my right, but the moment I turned my head they were gone.

The moment I turned my head, the eyes were gone and I was pinned to the ground on my side, one of my hind legs being ruthlessly bitten until I felt my bones snap. I howled in pain, and Harlem released me, stepped back, and let me struggle to my feet. He then lunged forward, bit my right ear, and released it, tearing the tip of it neatly in half with one sharp fang. I snarled and stepped back, shaking my head and showering the dirt with droplets of blood. I felt the two small pieces of my ear flapping back and forth.

Calm down. He is weak. Know your own strengths. I saw a flash of green, and then it was gone. But I couldn't find a single strength in the slowly bleeding mass of pain that was currently me. Hush. Be brave. Be smart. Watch. Now, I'll help you. But whoever the voice belonged to was soon silenced as Harlem again leapt at me and I was forced to perform an ungainly scramble to escape his claws and teeth. My hind leg was broken, that much could be taken in at a glance. I was delirious from blood loss; I was hearing voices! I didn't know what to do anymore; where to look, or fight, or even think. How could Dark have thought I would be any good at this? I was truly going to die here, without anyone or anything to come to my aid.

Suddenly, without anything to bid them to my mind, Satoshi's words sprang to my mind. "_Confuse him,_" he had said, and I'd be mincemeat if that wasn't what I did. Drawing my hind leg close to my bloodied, battered carcass, I limped forward.

"Stop," I growled quietly. "Why are we fighting? Because those people up there," here I turned my muzzle up to where the royals and Dark were sitting, "commanded it?" Harlem stood staring at me, his armor glowing in the moonlight. He tipped his head to me, and for a horrifying moment I thought he meant to gore me with the spike on his helmet. Then I saw that he was showing me something branded to his ear; his right ear.

It was a tattoo, a curling, scrollwork pattern of bright dyes forming a fang; a fang dripping with blood. "We fight because we are marked to fight," Harlem snarled, and in that instant I knew I had to act. Without thinking, I bit his tattooed ear and refused to release it, even as Harlem began tearing at my throat with his claws. I held on grimly, doing my best not to rip his ear off; feeling my wounds bleed as my eyesight blurred.

"Stop! Harlem, back!" Whose voice was that? Was it Krad's? Or Satoshi's? "Harlem get back! Rue, let go of him!" No, it wasn't either of the two princes. This voice belonged to a being that had ended my human life. This voice was Dark's. He grabbed my muzzle (my jaws still being firmly locked around Harlem's tattooed ear), and without warning, pulled a dagger from some concealed sheath and, using the handle of it, rapped me sharply across the nose. Shocked and in a considerable amount of pain, I released Harlem instinctively and turned toward Dark, snarling. Without any thought at all, I lunged at him. It took my body precisely five seconds to realize that I had lost enough blood to pass out, and apparently, five seconds is too late when you're in mid-air.

"_Well," _I thought, _"so much for confusing him." _I felt myself crash into Dark, and blackness consumed my vision.

…

AN: … Ermegersh, this is so late… Please forgive me, and please push that NEW AND IMPROVED review button! (I should have a cover image for this story soon… I hope. Maybe Rue…)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Disclaimer: My throat hurts… I'm going to have to find someone else to say the disclaimer today…

Emiko: I'd be happy to say it! Hm… let's see here… Pheo the Flame does not own DN Angel, and she also does not own her computer.

Me: Thanks for that Emiko… thanks…

**…**

When I next opened my eyes, it was not because I was healing safely in some sort of infirmary. It was not a peaceful wakening, surrounded by quite people who want to make sure you are alright, and cool lights that don't burn your eyes but make you feel calm and rested.

No, when I opened my eyes after the fight with Harlem, it was because Emiko and Kosuke (who had indeed been the man standing between Hayato and Rio's thrones) were trying to pry my dented armor away from the long gash in my side so that it could be treated. If they had set my fur on fire, it would have hurt less. As it was, they may as well have just set Harlem on me again. I tried to endure the pain in silence, but as a small piece of metal began bending away from the open (and still bleeding!) wound in my side, I couldn't suppress a small whimper of pain.

"Oh," Emiko said softly, "Kosuke, she's awake… here, stop for a moment." She walked over to my where my head lay, and gently stroke the fur on my throat. "Rue, can you speak?" I nodded dully, collecting my thoughts as best I could, and then did as I had been asked.

"Where… where am I? I can't remember anything after the fight…" Emiko continued to stroke my fur, untangling a small knot with her fingers.

"You're back at our home Rue," Emiko replied, "Dark is taking Harlem to one of the warhound kennels, so that you can heal here. Satoshi thought that this would be best for you." I smiled tiredly, glad that someone in the royal family didn't want me dead. My torn ear throbbed with the beat of my heart, and I wondered if it would ever heal or if it would be a constant reminder to how weak I was.

"You've got a broken leg and two cracked ribs," Kosuke said grimly. "You're lucky you aren't blind in both eyes, and you also tore the stitching out of one of your paws. Most of these injuries are going to leave scars, but the fur on your side should grow back if we can get this armor off." I nodded, feeling lucky that the extent of my injuries didn't go far beyond that.

"We're going to keep trying to bend this back into shape to get it off of you," Emiko said, and I could see she was worried. "I'll have Towa give you something for the pain as soon as I can, but right now she's still boiling water to disinfect bandages. I'll go tell her right now though." Quickly, she leapt to her feet and trotted off and out of my line of sight, leaving me alone with Kosuke.

"So," he said pleasantly, "You're the scientist's niece?" I nodded, and he continued. "After all I've heard about you, I expected someone with less fur." I laughed softly.

"This form is still pretty new to me," I said, still smiling. "But I'm curious… what sort of things have you heard about me?" I still had very little idea as to why there had been an attempt at my life. I assumed that several of the children who my uncle had captured, whom _I _had helped capture, had come from this kingdom, and I was sure that was reason enough for the kingdom of Algernon, yet I wanted to hear my thoughts confirmed by someone here.

"That you have red hair, for one," Kosuke said. "Dark was in charge of watching you for about a month before you were shot, and when I asked him about you for the first time, he just shrugged and said 'she's a red'."

"What else did he say about me?" I asked, my curiosity now definitely piqued.

"You wore your hair short, like a boy, and you had bright green eyes," Kosuke replied with a shrug. "That he didn't think you were like your uncle at all, and he wished he didn't have to kill you; little snippets of things that he noticed over the weeks. Sometimes they were relevant to his task, but more often than not he couldn't find out much about you.

"Of course, there were also rumors," he continued. "People in town thought your eyes were magic, and you could charm children away from their backyards with just a single word. Nobody knew about the laboratory back then, and whenever a child went missing, a huge hunting party would gather with torches and arrows and spears, ready to venture into the woods. Sometimes, they would find a missing child. Most times, however, they didn't." Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"We didn't know about your uncle's lab until a young girl named Cira went missing. It was about two years ago. She was thirteen, and everyone in the town knew her and loved her. One day, she walked into the woods, off to pick flowers, and never came back." I suddenly tensed, remembering a day, two years ago, when a girl with long, wavy blonde hair had knocked on our door. She had been lost, and very afraid, and my uncle had taken her in and fed her. She had been the girl I had found two nights later, stung to death by mutant wasps. The girl I had buried under the light of the moon.

"We never found Cira," Kosuke continued gravely, "but we found that damned laboratory and we knew that that was where the children were taken. We left then; hurried back to tell the King and Queen what we had found. At first, we had no idea what to do about it, but then the two came to a decision. They couldn't let you live. Prince Krad was the first to suggest it, but we all quickly steeled ourselves to it. We couldn't think of any other way Rue, and I wish we had. But just thinking about poor Cira, probably rotting in a ditch somewhere clouded our minds." He seemed ready to continued, but I didn't let him.

"I buried her," I murmured. "She was stung to death, and I buried her at night, under the moon." Thoroughly numbed by all that Kosuke had told me, I quickly fell silent and waited to see if he had anything else to say. It became apparent that he did not, but I was saved from having to break what was quickly becoming an awkward silence by the arrival of Emiko and Towa. And Dark. I growled lightly when I saw this latest addition to the group, but Emiko shook her head ever so slightly, silencing me.

"Rue, I brought Dark here to help us get your armor off before that wound gets infected. Is that alright with you?" Her question was not really a question, and I could tell by the tone of her voice that I could only agree. So, once again, I nodded. "Good! Dark, you and Kosuke can work on the dents in the armor, and Towa, you can help me with bandaging these cuts on her face." Towa nodded, and then walked up to me.

"Here Rue," she said, setting a small bowl in front of me, "drink this. It's just a sleeping draught, but Miss Emiko's used it for years to help numb pain as well." Smiling gratefully at the jade-eyed girl, I twisted the front half of my body around until I was propped up on what I would call my elbows. It was an extremely uncomfortable position, and I couldn't help but grimace in pain. However, turning my attention to the small bowl, I began dutifully lapping at the contents. It tasted rather like a strong cup of cold mint tea, but I didn't mind. When I'd gotten through about half of the draught, my eyelids started to feel heavier than they should have. Three-quarters, and I couldn't see straight. I felt my breathing begin to slow down, and I lay back on my side and let my eyes slip closed.

"Harlem really didn't like her," Kosuke said. His words sounded far away, as though from a different room.

"I was telling him," Dark's reply was even more indistinct than Kosuke's, and his voice began fading away. "Telling him the whole time I walked him there to…" Despite a spark of outrage at Dark's words, his voice drifted away completely and I fell into a deep, dreamless, and painless sleep.

**…**

When my eyes finally opened again, the burning pain in my side had been reduced to a dull throb that echoed through my leg, my face, and my ear. My muzzle and most of the area around my eyes had been wrapped snugly with bright white gauze, and I could feel stitches in my ear where it had been torn. My right hind leg felt strangely heavy, and I figured that it was because of a cast or a splint of some sort that kept the bone in place. Past the gauze, I could see Daisuke sitting near me. I wagged my tail tiredly, happy to see him, and he perked up immediately.

"Rue!" he exclaimed, "I'm glad you're awake, it's just time for breakfast." His words took several seconds to sink in, but they gradually worked their way through the rest of the sleeping draught and the bandages. "Can you walk?" the redhead continued, "If not, I'm sure I can help some way or another…" he trailed off, and I realized he was much too weak to carry me. I bravely attempted to stand up, and although I slipped once, was quickly on my feet. Daisuke smiled, and led the way to the dining room, which was just off the kitchen and only a short distance from where we were. I kept my broken leg off the ground, and hobbled on three feet after him.

Emiko and Kosuke were seated at a small, rectangular table, and Towa was setting out plates and silverware. All of them looked tired, but their eyes brightened when they saw me. I wagged my tail at all of them, unable to speak due to the bandages wrapped around my muzzle, and Towa laughed. Setting a final plate on the table, she turned into the tiny pink bird that was her second form, flew over to where I stood, and perched on my head.

Emiko laughed. "Towa, as long as you're there, could you take that gauze off of Rue's mouth? I'm sure she'd like to eat today." The little bird saluted with one wing.

"Sure thing Miss Emiko!" she chirped, and hopped down to perch on my muzzle. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd drank too much of that stuff," Towa said, chattering as she began to pull the gauze off with her claws and beak. "Miss Emiko said you'd be awake by dawn, but here it is four hours after sunrise! I was worried you'd sleep through breakfast – you'd hate missing a meal here, Miss Emiko is an excellent cook!" I smiled at Towa's words, but I couldn't stop the small tears that sprung to my eyes. After so many years of going to bed hungry, or wondering if I'd get anything to eat each day, the idea of breakfast, surrounded by people who had been so kind to me despite who I was, threatened to overwhelm me.

"Thank you," I said as soon as the gauze was loose enough to let me speak. Towa flew off of my muzzle with an indignant chirp. "Thank you so much… for everything. You have no idea… how much this means right now." My voice broke, and I quickly shut up before I actually started crying.

"Oh good grief… If you get this emotional over breakfast, I'll make you eat dinner outside." My thankfulness forgotten, I turned toward Dark with a quiet growl.

"You obviously have eaten well every day for the past ten years," I said coldly. "You've probably never wondered whether or not you'd eat each morning when you woke up, already starving from the night before, or thought about eating _grass, _or –"

Dark cut me off. "You've heard I am a guard here," he said coolly. "For the past ten years, I have been in several very intensive training camps, worked until I dropped from sheer exhaustion, and nearly died twice. I have fallen asleep some nights, and wondered if I would wake up alive. I have been _forced, _on one occasion, to eat some very nasty and barely edible roots to stay alive, and even then, nearly died again. And for what?"

He glared out of the window behind me, his mask of calmness broken. "_Nothing, _Rue. Absolutely nothing happened. I was promoted to the head of the Royal Guard, I was allowed to come back to my home… and I was later told to kill you." His eyes softened somewhat. "And apparently I can't even do that right."

During the silence that followed, I realized that the dining room was deserted. Emiko, Kosuke, and Daisuke had slipped off, I assumed into the kitchen. "Dark," I said quietly, "What was going to happen?"

"War," he replied. "Ariston and Algernon have been rivals for centuries, each looking for full control of the forest. Atherton, another kingdom off to the west, fell to Ariston a few years back, and Abelon and Abruzzino were the first to fall to Keiji's reign."

"Keiji?" I asked quietly. "Is he Lyra's father?" Dark shook his head with mild disgust.

"He's her younger brother," he said. "His father was quite old; willed him the throne instead of his eldest child – that's Lyra – when he was especially ill, and not too soon afterwards, perhaps a year and a day, he fell ill again and passed. So now that he's a king, and conquered three other kingdoms, Keiji's going a bit mad with power. Lyra will do anything he says, she's a trained assassin, as you've seen, and worst of all, she's going to marry _Krad._"

"Well," I said cautiously, "what's so horrible about that?" _Aside from the fact they hate each other, and the small issue of her killing my last remaining bit of family, of course._

"He will die on the day of his and Lyra's coronation," Dark explained slowly. "Lyra will have control over the kingdom by default, and hand it over to Keiji in an instant. And those two idiots –"

Towa walked in just then, pale-faced and shaking just a bit, and Dark shut his mouth so fast I heard his teeth click together. "Argentine is at the door," she said quietly. "He says that he wants to see Rue. He is to escort her to the palace." My stomach growled.

"Tell him that I plan on eating first," I replied, remembering how this conversation between Dark and myself had begun in the first place. I could smell what I remembered from long ago as bacon, and if anyone, even my parents come back to life, had come to get me at the moment, they couldn't have dragged me out with a herd of wild horses.

I saw a quick movement out of the corner of my eye, and without hesitating, leapt toward it, pinning something small and scaly under one paw. My whole body ached with the sudden movement, but Dark moved over to me, slowly, and cupped his hands around the paw that held whatever I had caught to the floor. He seemed grim.

"Quick," he said, "pick your paw up and I'll get him. He knows he shouldn't be in here without an invitation…" I hesitated for a moment, but rationalizing with myself, I knew I'd never get anywhere until I could at least forgive Dark. Besides, if what Kosuke had told me was true, he had only been following orders; against his will at that. I picked up my paw.

In less than a second, Dark held a squirming, dark, lizard-like creature with two golden stripes running up its sides. Towa shrank back through the doorway and into the kitchen, and I instantly knew from her reaction that this was Argentine.

"Good reflexes Rue," Dark said, still holding Argentine the Lizard by his tail. "See, with a bit of training you'll be fighting just fine." I growled at him, not wanting to do so much as think about the night before. "Oh alright… fine. But you're going patrolling with me one night." I flicked my tail back and forth in annoyance, but said nothing to the contrary.

Argentine finally managed to twist around, bite Dark's hand, and fall to the floor. However, instead of scampering out of the door, or escaping out of a window, he sat still for a moment before disappearing in a flash of silver.

"You're wanted in court," he said after a moment. In human form, Argentine looked about Daisuke's age, with slightly spiky, dirty blonde hair. He wore lots of black, with hints of silver on the collar and cuffs of his shirt, and I thought that he must be either a servant of Satoshi or Queen Rio.

Emiko walked in quickly, with a large basket hung on one arm. I could smell toast. "She is also wanted at the breakfast table," she snapped at Argentine. "You are welcome to stay if you wish, breakfast's nearly finished." She smiled at me, pointing to a chair at one corner of the table. "Rue, you can sit here. We'll have to move you once Harlem gets back, but for now it'll be fine." I blinked, surprised at the invitation to the table, but wagged my tail and leapt lightly into the chair. Argentine stared at me, and I could not read his silver eyes, but gazed stoically back despite this.

Finally, he shifted his gaze, and I allowed mine to wander again as he gave Emiko an answer. "I shall be back for her in an hour. In the meantime, do try to make her presentable." I growled, but he paid me no mind. In a flash of silver, he returned to his lizard form, and was out the window in the blink of an eye. Emiko returned to the kitchen, leaving the toast on the table and me alone with Dark.

"It's the Queen who wants you," Dark said finally, taking a seat next to me. "It's no secret to any of us that Argentine's her servant and errand boy. But the question is why she would want you…" He trailed off, glancing out the window. Towa walked in with a huge plate heaped with scrambled eggs, set them on the table, and then trotted back into the kitchen. I tried not to drool.

Dark continued at a different rate, almost speaking under his breath. "Look, I know they seem like nice people, but they can be ruthless if they have to be. I'm not much more than a pet to them now. Don't look at me like that, I've told you what they've done to me and how I was treated." I shook the look of disbelief off of my face, and kept listening. "I don't want you ending up like me, so if you are offered anything, _anything _at all, refuse it unless it's a new set of armor. You'll be needing that." I smiled at him, somewhat amused by his worry. Nobody could _own _me. I wasn't just some dumb creature that could be collared and kept.

"Don't worry about me," I said with a quick grin. "What you ought to worry about is the food here." Dark laughed and scratched me behind the ears.

"You wouldn't dare," he replied, mockingly threatening me. Daisuke walked in, carrying a bowl of strawberries, tripped over Wiz (who was hopping around under his feet), and went flying. Dark caught the bowl of strawberries as it flew, and I snatched the single one that had fallen out of the bowl in my teeth before it could hit the ground. Glancing down at Wiz, I bit the strawberry in half, picked up the furry little creature, and let it enjoy the fruit.

"Are you okay Daisuke?" I asked quietly. The boy was still laying face down on the floor, unmoving. He didn't answer me. Dark stood up and walked over to his brother, quickly turning him over onto his back. Daisuke had broken his nose. Blood was gushing from his nostrils, and his eyes were closed. There was a cut above one of his eyebrows as well from hitting the floor, and it was oozing blood at a rate that was alarming for its small size.

"Go get mom," Dark said quickly, and I thought I heard panic in his voice. "Dad and Towa too; he's still alive but he's losing blood." Quickly, I turned toward the kitchen and dashed in, forcing myself not to sprint. As I left, I could hear Dark still speaking.

"Daisuke, stay with me… Can you hear me? C'mon Dai, open your eyes… please…"

**…**

AN: Probably not my best chapter... a lot of dialogue, which is something I'm not too fond of. However... so much happened here, I hope that makes up for it! Please review! *hugs*


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Disclaimer: IDON'TOWNDNANGELANDMYSPACEBARISBR OKEN!

Just kidding. On with the chapter!

…

Emiko and Towa, as soon as they had dashed out of the kitchen, promptly had Kosuke and Dark pick Daisuke up and carry him over to the couch in the living room. The boy's nose dripped blood the entire way, and the cut above his eye fared no better. Emiko seemed to be frantic, and her movements were quick, but her voice remained calm and just a bit stern. Towa had gone off for bandages and other supplies, and I was left in the kitchen, the tempting scents of food now ignored by all but me. I fought with myself for a moment, remembering there was only an hour until Argentine came back. Then I shook the scents out of my nose and followed Kosuke's retreating back.

Trailing slightly behind the group, and to their right, it was possible for me to see a small, yet bright green, feathered _something _sticking out of Daisuke's shoulder. It looked like it had broken in half when Dark had rolled his brother over, and I quickly pointed it out to Kosuke.

"Wait," I said as he lowered Daisuke onto the couch, "Look." I pointed at the object with my nose, and everyone looked at it. Dark swore, apologized, and spoke. His eyes looked bloodshot and glassy, as though he'd been crying, or trying not to.

"Well, we know what happened," he said. "Looks like a blow dart. Hopefully just a tranquilizer, and not…" Dark shook his head, obviously not trusting himself to finish his sentence. "Hopefully they were after you, Rue, and missed. Sounds like a bad thing to say, but… if they were after you, they wouldn't… y'know, be aiming to kill." Emiko was busy resetting Daisuke's nose, and putting pressure on the cut above his eye while Towa kept a hand on the carotid artery in his neck, keeping track of his pulse.

"We're lucky he fell at an angle," Emiko said softly. "The break of his nose is clean, and none of the cartilage is pushed back. Dark, Kosuke, Rue, go eat. We'll tell you if we need any of you." Dark was practically glaring at her.

"I'm not leaving," he snapped. He sounded like a stubborn child, and at that moment, I truly saw just how afraid he was. In just a few minutes, his cool personality had completely evaporated, leaving a totally different version of himself in the Niwa's house.

"Dark," Emiko said quietly, "You will only get in our way here. What I want you to do is go eat, and then take Rue to see the queen. If anything happens, even if Dai only _twitches, _I will send Towa to the two of you instantly. Towa, you're up to that?" The girl saluted.

"Always am, Miss Emiko!" Towa chirped, and just to prove it, she turned into a bird, flew twice around the room, and landed next to Daisuke before turning back into herself and beginning to check the redhead's pulse again. She frowned, shifted her fingers slightly, and sighed. "He's still doing fine," she reported. "Pulse is steady."

Emiko looked sternly at Dark. "You heard Towa. Now go eat. Rue, Kosuke, you too." Dark wilted a little under her gaze, and Kosuke didn't even try defying her. Together, we slowly trudged back to the kitchen, where the still delicious food sat. And despite everything that was happening, I was still absolutely starving.

Thankfully, Dark noticed. Giving me a weak smile, he asked, "What d'you want Rue?" Kosuke was already heaping a plate high with eggs, and I smiled.

"I suppose I'll just eat whatever you'll give me," I said. "If you don't find that odd." Dark laughed, grabbed two plates, and started piling them high with everything on the table.

"Not odd at all," he replied. "You're a wolf; you're probably going to eat like one. Harlem could eat a horse as one meal, if he hadn't been trained to stay away from 'em." The thought of the huge warhound sent shivers up my spine, and I quickly pushed him out of my thoughts.

Dark set a plate at my spot at the table, sat down, and gave me a look that clearly said 'dig in'. I leapt lithely up to the chair at Dark's left, and saw that he was already eating. I followed his example, at first awkwardly chewing, then beginning to understand slightly more how my fangs worked.

Needless to say, breakfast was a short meal.

…

We finished eating in about twenty minutes, and as soon as the table was cleared Dark was sitting on the couch near Daisuke's feet. I curled up near the fireplace, still amazed by all of the throw rugs that made such a lovely, soft carpet, and watched Emiko try to shoo the violet haired young man off.

"Dark," she said, exasperated, "you are only going to get in our way here. Please; Daisuke's going to be okay!"

"How do you know that?" Dark snapped. "You saw that dart, it wasn't anything I could identify and I've never seen feathers like that before!" Emiko sighed.

"Dark," she said again. "Daisuke is going to be fine. I've already checked it out, whatever whoever shot him with was _not_ poison. It was a fairly strong sedative, but _not poison._" The look in her eyes said 'and that's final'. Dark took the hint, and stood somewhat reluctantly.

"C'mon Rue," he said. "I'll show you around outside." I stood, and limped after him. I glanced up at the vase that held red, yellow and orange flowers like a torch, and wondered if he'd tell me about the strange and bright gardens I had seen when Daisuke showed me this house for the first time. But Dark ignored the flowers for the time being, and walked around to the back of the house.

The area was much larger than I had first thought, with a small pond and a very large garden taking up only about a third of the huge fenced in yard. Dark grinned at my shocked look, and nodded for me to follow him. We walked about for a bit, and Dark explained to me how the pond (in truth, a spring) irrigated the garden, and how the garden grew enough food to feed half of Algernon. It had originally been Emiko's idea, he said, but now he and Daisuke were stuck weeding and harvesting crops.

When Dark mentioned Daisuke, he paused briefly, and then began walking over to a tall oak tree in the far corner of the yard. "I want you to see this," he said. "I think you'll like it." As we got closer, I saw that there was a tall ladder leaning against the tree, and a medium-sized basket sat on the ground next to it, attached to a system of pulleys.

"Back when Dai was young, mom didn't want him climbing up and down a ladder all the time," Dark explained. "So I got some help from my dad and we rigged up this basket." I glanced up into the tree's branches, and caught a glimpse of wooden planks high above my head. When I brought my attention back to the ground, Dark was gone. A moment later, I found him halfway up the ladder.

"Jump in the basket!" He yelled down. I stared at the item in question suspiciously. It seemed a bit… delicate, for lifting a wolf what I guessed was about fifty feet in the air. It was a wicker basket, and the bottom had been reinforced inside and out with wood, but I wasn't sure I trusted Dark enough to get in…

"You're sure it's safe?" I called back. "What do you want to show me, anyway?" _More vicious warhounds that might actually kill me this time around, _I guessed. _Or maybe you'll just shove me off of that platform or whatever's up there and be done with it. Say it was an accident. _Kosuke had told me Dark hadn't wanted to kill me, but now I wondered how much I could really trust him. Could he be lying just to help his son?

"It's fine!" Dark replied, "I've brought Harlem up here a few times; he's gotta be at least twice as heavy as you!" Well, that answered my first question, and I figured I'd have to actually trust Dark a bit in order to find the answer to the second. There was a really old saying I had found in a book that said 'you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs', and I'd interpreted that as 'you can't do anything worthwhile without taking a few risks'. Deciding this was one of those times, I cautiously stepped into the basket and sat down. I barked, and the basket quickly began ascending. It swayed, and twirled, and didn't seem safe at all, but I arrived at what I found was a large platform of wood in one piece. Dark was tying off the end of the rope, and I jumped out of the basket awkwardly to see what this place was like.

On two sides, the back and the left, there was nothing but tree branches. Huge, sturdy oak limbs swayed gently in the breeze, making their leaves rustle. I could hear birds calling. To my right, there was a wall, with a door in the center of it. I saw, to my surprise, that it was locked. Why would a door be locked here? However, as I focused my attention to what was directly in front of me, I quickly forgot my question.

"Nice view, isn't it?" Dark asked. I nodded, stunned. "This isn't even the whole place, only the half the garden helps feed." Stretched out in front of us was a scene from a painting. What looked like hundreds of small cottages were dotted about on the landscape, each with a thatched roof and a large area of land that was often fenced in to hold (I figured) animals. Off in the distance, I could see the castle, standing high and proud like the royalty who lived within it. Later, I learned there weren't nearly as many buildings as I first had thought, and that Algernon was really a rather small kingdom, but for now, I felt like I was on the top of the world.

Sadly though, I had to ruin the moment. Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes. "Dark" I asked, "What's behind that door?" I indicated the door to my right, with the lock on it.

Dark stiffened, and for a moment I thought he'd refuse to tell me. "It's where Dai normally works," he said at last, and I could tell he was still extremely worried about his younger brother. "He's a genius, Rue," he continued, "but he's so damn clumsy… I can't stop worrying about him. He's practically killed himself three times I can think of, and he always walks out of it with this goofy smile on his face…" He grimaced. I didn't know what to say. If you had asked me about Dark three hours ago, I would have said that he didn't care about anyone or anything but himself. Now… I wasn't sure what to think.

"C'mere," Dark continued, standing and heading towards the door, "I'll show you what I'm talking about." I followed. I wanted to take one last glance at the kingdom that lay below me, but at the last second I remembered Satoshi's words and stopped myself, instead focusing on Dark as he pulled a thin chain from under his shirt. Strung on the chain were two keys: one thick and silver, the other a thin, beautiful copper skeleton key, which he used to unlock the door. It swung out, towards us, and I saw another door behind it.

This door appeared to be heavy steel, or possibly iron, and I saw something very familiar sitting in the middle of it: a keypad. The thought of home reminded me of the hole in me that had been there since Lyra had killed my uncle, and I whimpered softly as Dark quickly entered a code. With a quick triple beep, the door swung open on hydraulic hinges to reveal a dimly lit room.

I walked in slowly after Dark, expecting him to seek out a light switch or a book of matches. He did neither. I watched as he let the door swing closed behind him, plunging us both into complete darkness. I stood absolutely still for about five seconds, until I heard a very, very faint buzzing noise that I recognized as electric lights warming up.

"The switch is in the door," Dark said conversationally. "It won't activate the lights unless the right code's been entered though." As the lights finally flickered to life, I was able to see what was around me.

On the walls hung beautifully detailed blueprints for things I could never describe, for flying machines (which had, admittedly, once existed, but were long gone from the skies now) and moving stairs, both powered by humble steam. I saw working miniature models of engines sitting on tables that were made of wood, and one metal table that held several beakers. However, these were empty, and shone in a way that told me they were seldom (or never had been) used. As I turned, I saw more of the artfully detailed blueprints, and several nearly picturesque sketches of the view Dark had shown me only a few minutes ago.

I couldn't think of what to say, or if I should say anything. However, as I finished surveying the room, I couldn't help but gasping, "H-how?"

Dark smiled, and shrugged. "He's a genius," he repeated, "and, clumsy as he is, he learned how to build watches when he was ten." He gently lifted a small pocket watch off of one of the tables, and showed it to me. "This was his latest project, as a gift to our mom. She was always complaining about the one she'd been given with her duties being too big." He grinned, and set it back on the table. "I'm guessing that's how he knows how to build these little mini-engine thingies."

"That's amazing," I said. I could hardly believe that anyone could learn how to _build _a watch, but after seeing this… if it was a lab, and if it was Daisuke's, I knew that was something I wanted to see.

Dark continued the tour, pointing out a great many things that I can't recall, and several that I still can. There was a wolf-sized version of the flying machine blueprint (Daisuke, as I later learned, was quite taken with the idea of flight), and a small mechanical bird that gazed at me with cameras that it used for eyes. Dark told me that Dai (as he so fondly called his brother) had begun building it with the intent to use it for spying in the war that had never happened.

There were several things that I recognized, and they, like the electric lights and keypad, tugged pathetically at my heart. There were several pieces of what looked like the ancient machinery, rusted gears and what could have been half of a steering wheel (which I only recognized from pictures in books). I also saw a disassembled item that looked somewhat like a keypad, but with a screen (lying slightly further away from the other pieces) that took up slightly more than half of the space it shared with the numbers and symbols. My uncle had once shown me something like that, when I was very small. He had called it a 'phone'. It seemed as though Daisuke shared his interest with certain items from the Other Times.

I think it was about this time that I realized Dark had fallen silent, and was sitting on the sill of the only window in the room (the shades had been closed when we first entered, but were now pulled to the sides). This window didn't have glass in it, but that didn't seem to bother the eldest Niwa.

"I'm so worried about him," he said to no one in particular. He obviously wasn't talking to me. "I keep dreaming about an eagle, _the _eagle that always appears before a war, and for this to happen to Dai… the start of it all…" he sighed. And then I saw a blonde-haired boy, walking calmly down the road.

Argentine was back.

…

AN: Oh yes, I didn't forget about Argentine. My, am I having fun writing this… anyway, if anyone has a review that they don't want, please feel free to give it to me! There's a lovely little drop-off box just below (if you aren't reading this on a phone or tablet), and any reviews I receive will be given the _best _of care!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own… hm… well, not DN Angel, that's for sure.

AN: Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? What with school, writer's block, and a general lack of inspiration to even get out of bed in the morning, it's been a bit crazy. I hope I can make it up to you, at some point in my life. Maybe I can find a way…

…

Argentine walked up to the front door of the Niwa's home, as bold as brass, and even from the distance I was from him, I imagined I could hear him knock on the door. Dark growled low in his throat, reminding me of Raiden as he drove me away from his pack.

"Rue," he said quietly, "I'm coming with you."

"Why?" I asked. Did he plan to use Argentine to dispose of me now?

But as soon as the through crossed my mind, I shook it out of my head. Dark seemed, in all respects, to truly be a nice person, and if I was ever to get by in this land I would have to learn to trust people. His own father had told me he had not wanted to kill me, and I decided that I would have to believe that; believe that he was honestly glad I had survived both his bullet and his warhound, and was willing to accompany me to see the queen. Trust might be all I had in him, and yet… trust just might be enough. For now, at least.

"I have my own business with Rio," he said darkly. "Get in the basket, Argentine will be waiting." Without a word more, he stood from the windowsill, and walked to the door. I trotted after him, close to his heels as he opened the door, stepped through it, and relocked it from the outside. I limped over to the basket that had served as my personal elevator, and stepped inside as Dark grabbed the rope and began to lower me to the earth. A slight breeze shifted the basket back and forth, and lulled me into a peaceful, almost lethargic state as I inched ever closer to the green grass below.

The basket thumped to the ground, and I watched Dark quickly descend the ladder. He jumped to the ground six or seven rungs from the ground, and stumbled forward as though unable to balance. It was then that I first noticed what was different about him:

Dark's hair had grown considerably lighter. What had once been bright violet now could barely be called lilac, and was almost fading to white. His limbs were shaking, and the climb that had taken him only a few seconds had left him exhausted after his descent. I could hear his heart beating much faster than it should have, and his breath came in short, quick gasps.

"Dark," I asked, "are you… alright?" He nodded impatiently and strode forward, trying to appear steady but shaking like a leaf in the breeze. His eyes had grown dull, I noticed, and he was walking much more slowly than he should have been, as though he was feeling out each footstep he took.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I – we just need to get going, that's all." He kept walking as he spoke, and didn't look back at me, so I limped up to him and pressed my nose to his hand. His skin was ice cold, and he quickly pulled away from my touch. "Rue, I'm fine!" he snapped, "Just… just c'mon. Argentine's waiting for us." I whimpered gently, and reluctantly limped after him.

We did not go through the house, which struck me as odd. Instead, we walked around the large building, taking what felt like a longer route to the front door, where, as Dark had said, a lizard-type creature was sitting on the porch, idly twisting its tail back and forth as though impatient to be off.

"We're here Argentine," Dark said coldly. "Where did you go?" I glanced curiously at Dark, wondering if he'd simply overlooked the lizard or not. But before I could question it, Argentine shifted into his human form and walked up to Dark. He managed to get within about twenty feet before he was noticed.

"I always forget your eyes are the first to go bad," he muttered. "Here, put a hand on my shoulder."

"Rue will lead me," Dark replied coolly. "Rue?" I walked up to him, but didn't touch him. I was afraid to, after what had happened only minutes earlier. However, he placed one hand on my head, and stroked my ears. Even through my fur, I could feel the iciness of his skin – and was it my imagination, or did he seem weaker than before?

"Very well then," Argentine said. "We shall go. The queen is anxious to see the latest addition to the kennels… and I'm sure she'll have something for you, Dark." He nodded weakly, and started walking. His strides were slow, clumsy, and unsteady; he was hardly the graceful assassin who had hidden quietly in a tree only several days earlier. I kept close to him, trying my best to guide him without getting under his feet and tripping him up. I had the feeling that if he fell, it would take a bit of time to get him moving again, and time was something that we did not have.

Slowly, we trudged through the now crowded streets, keeping to the sidewalks to avoid horse-drawn carriages and rushing pedestrians. However, lining the streets were merchants and peddlers selling what seemed to be anything a human (or animal) could want. I saw huge metal collars for warhounds sitting next to leather harnesses for horses in one stall, and another was filled with rabbits. I noted with a small smile that the people in charge of the rabbits kept a close eye on me as we passed.

In another stall (and in truth, these 'stalls' were simply carts that had been moved to the sides of the streets) I almost laughed aloud at what a handsomely labeled card proclaimed to be 'Missing Relics from Ancient Times'. What I saw was simply junk. It might have been from ancient times, but I doubted much of it had been of any sort of use. I had a feeling Daisuke might have frequented this stall, perhaps picking up the ruined phone from amongst the remains of a hand mirror, or looking through the small collection of wristwatches that I saw piled in one corner.

Thinking of Daisuke, however, reminded me of the day's events, and I limped along slightly faster. We quickly left the bustling streets behind as Argentine began to direct me down narrow back roads and along dirt paths that were marked by nothing more than his word.

About halfway down the second of these unmarked paths, with the castle of the Hikari's in sight, Dark stumbled and fell. Wordlessly, Argentine helped him to his feet and threw one of the assassin's arms around his shoulders, and continued walking. All that was left for me to do was follow, and so I did; limping along with a sense of dread congealing in my stomach. What was wrong with Dark?

It took us nearly twenty minutes to walk the remaining distance to the castle, and by this point Argentine was supporting most of Dark's weight. He was exhausted, and as soon as two guards had rushed out and relieved him of his burden, he morphed into his lizard-like form and crawled up my leg to perch on my head.

"Don't shake me off," he said faintly.

"Why shouldn't I?" I snapped, feeling utterly revolted and more than a little violated.

"Queen Rio intends to have you Healed," he replied. "Full Heal, capital 'H'. Either she or Prince Satoshi must really like you." I didn't know what that had to do with letting a lizard sit on my head, but I decided to let it slide for now. Did this mean I would be able to see Satoshi? My stomach twisted into a nervous knot just thinking about it, and I felt my ears shiver in anticipation. However, I knew it would be a mistake to ask after one of the princes, and so I kept my mouth shut.

"What's wrong with Dark?" I asked instead.

"Walk inside," Argentine replied. "I'm sure he'll tell you himself once he's ready." I wanted to shake Argentine off of my head, and tear him to shreds with my teeth. I was also revolted with myself for wanting to do such a thing, but I couldn't help myself. He felt like a threat, and I wanted nothing to do with threats. Not anymore. But I kept my temper at bay, and carefully walked through the now unguarded door into the familiar giant entry hall.

"Keep going, like you're walking to the throne room," the small lizard instructed. "Stop at the first portrait where a queen does not face a king." I did as he said, and stopped where a queen, a woman with Krad's blonde hair and Satoshi's sad blue eyes, gazed out of the canvas. Argentine leapt onto the floor and became a boy again.

"Wait here," he snapped. "Don't move, and speak to no one. I will be back shortly." He turned and walked off, and I followed his retreating back with my eyes. I didn't move, thinking that no one would bother me if they walked past. Of course, no one walked by. It seemed like this part of the castle was relatively quiet when the court wasn't gathered. Of course, I had no idea what this castle was like as a general rule, but I imagined that there was normally an air of activity.

My mind began to wander again, back to when I was a young girl, living with my family. My parents had both been born with red hair, and had to constantly dye it brown, a process that I would have had to start going through when I was five – or had it been six? Either way, no child older than that was allowed to have hair other than brown.

Everyone over the age of fourteen had to get their eyes 'fixed'. This involved the eyes being injected with brown pigment that would take permanently to the irises, and then laser surgery that would make you either near- or far-sighted. Everyone in the City wore glasses.

I thought briefly about a friend I had made in the City. I couldn't remember his name, but that it was something unusual (but obviously still standard, names had to be 'okayed' by the courts), and that he'd nearly always been smirking. We used to play in a large plaza, hiding and seeking and tagging and spinning around a huge water fountain that was covered with a dusty glass dome. I tried desperately to remember his name, or something else about how he looked, but just then I heard my name being called.

"Rue!" It was Argentine, in his lizard form. He had crawled on top of my head again, without me even noticing, and was shouting directly into my ear! I flinched away from the noise and viciously shook my head, but Argentine hung on to my fur with grim determination. "Good grief," he said when I had calmed down a bit, "I was calling for a good minute! What were you thinking about?"

"Home," I replied shortly, "the City. Where are we going?" He laughed softly, and crawled onto my nose. Cross-eyed, I stared at him as he pointed to right, where the portrait of the first lone queen of Algernon was – or rather, had been. Now, there was nothing but a gap in the wall, between two other portraits. I hesitantly stood, and Argentine nodded encouragingly. I stepped into the hole in the wall, and into the darkness as the wall dropped back into place behind me. I gasped and wheeled around in shock, trying to orient myself in the horrific darkness that pressed, suffocating, all around me.

"Don't panic," Argentine said sharply. "The lights will be just a moment." I shuddered, trying to calm myself.

"It's so… dark…" I whispered. "Argentine… when will the lights come on?" I had found a wall, and curled up beside it to keep my bearings. But Argentine did not reply. He was gone, and I was alone with the darkness as my only company. My entire being froze; my heart stopped, and my breath caught in my throat. The darkness. Alone.

_I was alone and terrified. I was five. _

_My parents had shut me up in my room, instead of allowing me to play with my friends at the fountain. I had cried many tears about that incident, but I had no more to cry and I was all alone… I began to amuse myself by taking a small bit of charcoal I had found on the streets one day and making lines on my wall. Gradually, these lines became little trees, and in the middle of the trees, there was a small house. I decided that this was where I lived, with my mom and dad. I drew them into the picture; simple stick figures, two tall, one short. I gave my mom hair, but didn't draw any on myself because it was mandatory for my hair to be no longer than my father's until it was dyed._

_The lights on the ceiling flickered, but I paid them no mind. They often did that; small power failures that never lasted more than a second. I continued drawing, adding little flowers to the front of the house. I had seen flowers once before, and trees too, when my parents had shown me pictures at a museum. They had told me they were bad for humans, and made us ill, but I thought the pictures were beautiful anyway. I remember wanting to see a real one, and being told they no longer existed. _

_The lights flickered again. This time, there was a noticeable period of darkness. I dropped my bit of charcoal, and went to the door. Very, very softly I called out to my mother and father, hoping that they would hear me. They didn't. The lights flickered again, went out, and came back on._

_That was when they broke into the house. The Raidsmen. I remember my mother's screams, and my father's shouts, and the lights went out. The never came back on, not while I was in that tiny little two story house I called home. I sat in that room for a two and a half days, with no food, no water, and no light. There wasn't even a window. When I was finally taken out of the house where my parents died, I weighed a good twenty pounds less than I should have. Twenty pounds that I never really gained back. For the rest of my human life, I was able to count my ribs, and my hips stood out from my stomach like I had survived a stretch in prison. It was miserable._

_For weeks, I had to be drugged to even sleep, and the moment the sedatives wore off, I would wake up, screaming, in the dark. They talked to every single one of my relatives in the City, but not one of them would take me. Eventually, they were contacted by my long-lost uncle, who offered to take me in. He would later turn me into a wolf, but you already know that bit._

…

AN: Well, it really has been ages, and I am completely embarrassed right now. School has been harassing me, life has been… well, interesting, to say the least, and progress on my novel is… relatively non-existent. I hope someone is still out and about on fanfic to see this, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.


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